


knocking at that door

by carljungkook (jenna_sais_pas)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Xu Ming Hao | The8, Vampires, Werewolf Kim Mingyu, dialogue city. they talk a lot in this one folks, dog training as a metaphor but i promise it's actually very romantic, dogboy mingyu taken to the logical extreme, the practice of very unlicensed therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28827405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenna_sais_pas/pseuds/carljungkook
Summary: Minghao smiles warmly. It’s a lovely smile. He’s lovely. People really just look like this? Wow. Seokmin maybe misses the next few words of what he says.“—Mingyu's just gotten really territorial lately.”“Does he bark often?” Seokmin asks.Minghao laughs. “No, but he certainly does whine about it!”Seokmin isn’t sure what’s funny about that. Whining in dogs can indicate fear or trauma-based territorial aggression, so it's not typically a good sign. He laughs anyway.“I feel like I can’t even have people over anymore,” Minghao continues. “I need to eat, you know! But he freaks out every time someone shows up.”Seokmin hums, trying to sound understanding. “Yeah, delivery workers are often a challenge.”Seokmin likes to think he’s a pretty experienced dog trainer, but even he isn’t prepared for his newest clients: a struggling vampire and his handsome werewolf roommate.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK, Kim Mingyu/Lee Seokmin | DK/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Lee Seokmin | DK/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 31
Kudos: 294
Collections: Seventeen Rare Pair Fest: 2 Rare 2 Pair





	knocking at that door

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SVTRarePairFest2](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SVTRarePairFest2) collection. 



> "seokmin is the greatest most amazing world renowned dog whisperer ever. but he's still under qualified when vampire minghao hires him to help mediate between himself and werewolf mingyu."
> 
> thank you to the prompter, this was a great concept and i hope i've done it some justice!
> 
> title is a poorly veiled hey buddy reference, creative I know, but I like to imagine it sung in a kate bush voice and i hope you'll enjoy it in this way with me

Seokmin knocks. The man who opens the door offers a gracious smile with an impressive set of canines, something Seokmin can appreciate in his line of work. 

Seokmin recognizes him, although not by name, so he cautiously returns the smile. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met yet. I’m the dog trainer.”

His host’s expression turns strained. “He actually did it,” he says, not quite a question.

“I’m sorry?” 

“No, I’m sorry, there’s been a misunderstanding. This isn’t necessary, Minghao was just trying to prove a point.” The man takes a step back from the door and raises his voice, directing into the rest of the apartment. “But he’s proven it! Point taken!”

Seokmin peers inside as the door opens wider. Minghao is approaching the door, face flushed, but there’s no sign of a dog that Seokmin can see.

“Is… Do you not have Mingyu anymore?” Seokmin asks softly, wincing. It’s only been a few days since he’d spoken to Minghao, but these things can happen quickly with large dogs. A rapidly progressing illness, an escape, any number of things could have caused the conspicuous absence of the dog he is there to train. Unfortunate, for the owners and for Seokmin’s job prospects.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself,” the man at the door says. He runs a hand through his hair and offers it to Seokmin. “Kim Mingyu.” 

Seokmin shakes it, a habit ingrained through years of dog training. “No, I meant the dog?” he offers with an unsure laugh.

Mingyu just nods. “That’s me.” 

“You could at least let him in,” Minghao calls from behind, mouthing an apology at Seokmin.

Seokmin follows Mingyu in quickly, looking to Minghao for some explanation. As he glances, he takes notice of a row of framed photos in the entrance hallway. He looks only briefly, but they all appear to be of Minghao and Mingyu. 

“Oh… is this? Is this like, a role-play thing?” Seokmin blurts out. The first thing he feels is disappointment. He should’ve known Minghao would be a furry when Soonyoung had spoken so highly of him. Still, he might’ve been able to handle that if Minghao had at least been single. 

Minghao coughs. “No, oh my god,” he protests loudly. “Sorry, Mingyu’s just embarrassed because I sort of sprung this on him, but I really do think you could be of help if you’re willing to talk with us.”

Seokmin looks between the two of them. “I’m here to help with your dog,” he says slowly. 

“Yes,” Minghao says. 

Mingyu waves. 

“You know, I think I’m just going to go.” Seokmin takes a few steps backwards.

Mingyu sighs and smiles apologetically. “Did you want me to shift? I just thought it would be easier if I could talk. Can’t really get much done in a conversation with a growl, as _someone_ so often reminds me.” He turns to glare at Minghao. “But I’ll shift if that’s what you’d prefer.”

“Um, what are you talk—Oh my god. Oh my god, what the hell, what—”

Mingyu barks.

Seokmin flinches. “That’s a wolf. That’s a whole wolf. Oh my god.” 

It is a wolf. A large one, at that. 

“Is that… a problem? Did Soonyoung not tell you?” Minghao asks, tone incredulous, as though _he_ is the one who’s supposed to be confused by the situation.

“Tell me your boyfriend’s a _wolf_? No, no he most certainly did not!”

Minghao flushes. “Ah, he’s not my boyfriend, we’re just…”

“I don’t even know what to begin processing here so I’m just going to ignore that.”

Mingyu sniffs at the air and lays down on the floor with a sigh, apparently bored with the conversation.

“Wait, are you human?” Minghao asks.

“Yes?” Seokmin chokes out, just short of yelling. “Are you _not_?”

“No, ew. Sorry, no offense! Just, I didn’t think Soonyoung even had human friends.” 

Seokmin back-pedals through the front door, half surprised he manages to do it without falling over on the way out. 

He pulls the door closed behind him and makes a swift and dignified escape. It occurs to him half a block away that it might have been a somewhat rude exit. But Minghao had seemed more focused on arguing with the wolf lying on his carpet than on his guest’s manners, so hopefully he won’t leave a poor review. 

In retrospect, Seokmin would like to say he should’ve seen it coming. There were signs, sure, but to perfectly honest, he thinks it’s completely defensible that his mind had gone to ‘quirky rich dog owners’ and not _werewolves_. 

But yeah, there were probably some clues. 

For starters, the fact that the man who’d shown up to meet Seokmin a few days earlier had not been the one he was supposed to be meeting. 

Soonyoung had sent him a photo of someone broad and tanned with a handsome grin. The man who’d shown up had been someone unfamiliar, but Seokmin was definitely _not_ complaining. The man who waved Seokmin over was thin and comparatively pale. 

In a sexy sort of svelte way, though, not in the sickly way like that might sound. Very much a complimentary tone to all of Seokmin’s thoughts on this man, let the record show. 

But he’d walked Seokmin over to a table against a window, so the man must have been there for him. 

“Thank you for meeting me here, I hope it’s not too much of an inconvenience,” Seokmin said in place of an introduction, taking the empty seat. “I like to meet clients on neutral ground first, get an idea of the situation.” 

“It’s no problem,” the man said. His voice was lighter than Seokmin would have expected. He spoke calmly, despite looking a little flushed through his cheeks. It matched his outfit, something maroon and far fancier-looking than Seokmin would have ever thought to wear to a meeting at a coffee shop.

Seokmin admired it for a second before catching himself. He cleared his throat. “Uh, you are… Minghao, right?” Seokmin clarified, recalling the name he’d gotten from Soonyoung.

Minghao nodded and let out a soft peel of laughter, breathy and just short of a giggle. “And you’re the dog trainer?” 

Seokmin forgot entirely about asking after the man he’d expected to be meeting. He nodded enthusiastically. “Great, then let’s get started!” 

Minghao leaned back in his seat and pulled out a small journal, leather-bound, with a matching pen. 

“Oh, I love that, very prepared, I just take notes on my phone!”

Minghao nodded, offering a short smile.

Seokmin winced. “Actually! Have you ordered yet?” He asked, already standing up. “We probably should, for like, the business and all, yeah? Can I get you something?” 

Minghao blinked up at him, looking a little lost. 

Maybe it was tinged with amusement or maybe that was wishful thinking on Seokmin’s part. 

“Tea?” 

“Totally,” Seokmin replied, like that makes sense, and walked to the counter. 

He ordered and paid, on the assumption that this meeting was leading him to a paying job, and not because he felt like he needed to monetarily apologize for being a lot. If it didn’t work out, maybe he’d invoice Minghao the cost of the tea. Also, it had the benefit of Seokmin not having to feel shy about his sugary coffee order in front of this cool suave tea-drinking guy. 

It was just hard not to talk too much when the whole point of this meeting was for him to talk and ask questions. The more he felt like he was talking too much, the more he talked, despite knowing that was not going to fix the situation. If there even was a situation, which there likely wasn’t, because this was a meeting, not a date, and Minghao was here to get dog advice, not appraise Seokmin’s coolness, obviously.

Which is why it was fine. He was a professional. He was going to ask this guy about his dog and it didn’t matter if he thought Seokmin was cool or not! 

It would be nice if he thought Seokmin was cool though. 

Seokmin set the drinks down on the table carefully and resisted the urge to say something like _Yeah, you seem like a tea guy_ , recognizing the likelihood that would come off as judgemental instead of awkwardly flirtatious, which was his preferred and only mastered brand of flirtation. 

“Tell me about your problem,” he said instead. 

“Mingyu’s just gotten really territorial lately,” Minghao answered, lips quirked upwards.

Seokmin watched him take a sip of the tea and suppress a grimace. Great, Seokmin probably ordered the wrong kind. “Don’t worry, I deal with that a lot,” he said. 

“Oh, that’s good to hear.” Minghao smiled warmly. “I understand this is probably a bit outside of your normal work, but Soonyoung seemed sure that you’d still be able to help.”

It was a lovely smile. He was lovely. People really just look like that? Wow. Seokmin maybe missed the next few words of what he said. 

“—he doesn’t like it when people get in his space, which I understand, but he freaks out when they get near me now too.”

“Does he bark often?” Seokmin asked. 

Minghao laughed. “No, but he certainly does whine about it!”

Seokmin wasn’t sure what was funny about that. Whining in dogs can indicate fear or trauma-based territorial aggression, so it wasn’t typically a good sign. He laughed anyway. 

“I feel like I can’t even have people over anymore,” Minghao continued. “I need to eat, you know! But he freaks out every time someone shows up.”

Seokmin hummed, trying to sound understanding. “Yeah, delivery workers are often a challenge.”Minghao raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t say anything, so Seokmin continued. “How old is he?”

“Twenty-four.”

Seokmin blinked. “In… dog years?” That’d be probably two or three, depending on the breed. 

When he’d asked Soonyoung about the breed, the response was just ‘ _uh… wolf’_ , which Seokmin had taken to mean a big dog of some sort. Maybe a husky or German shepherd. Soonyoung probably considers learning dog breed names an insult to his tiger agenda or something. Seokmin had stopped asking questions long ago.

“Uh, yeah, I guess,” Minghao said. 

Seokmin tried his best for a charming smile. “Around your age, then?” He asked, trying to guess at Minghao’s intentions. Not the weirdest way he’d heard a client talk about their dog, he figured. 

“No, I’d say I’ve still got quite a few years on him.” Minghao laughed. 

He looked at Seokmin like there was a joke he was supposed to be getting, but it wouldn’t have been the first time Seokmin had missed a punch line. “Right. And how long ago did you get him?”

Minghao hummed. “He moved in two years ago, I think?” 

Seokmin frowned. Interesting phrasing, but Seokmin thought little of it, focused more on the details. Two years was a long time, likely most of the dog’s life. 

“Is that a problem?”

“Oh, it just means his habits will be pretty set by now. But that’s okay! I’ve worked with much older.”

Minghao smiled again. 

Seokmin decided biographical questions could wait until he actually met the dog. 

The rest of the meeting was spent with mostly Seokmin talking about himself, but that was a valid business decision. He had to convince Minghao that he was a qualified trainer, obviously. If Seokmin wanted to pretend he got the joke when a pretty boy asked if they could meet later in the day because he “sleeps pretty late”, then that was absolutely his right as a small business owner and entrepreneur. 

In retrospect, yeah, maybe his mind had been elsewhere and he’d missed a few things. But what good would dwelling on it do? He cuts his losses, makes a break for it, and takes the bus the long way home, just in case someone is following him. 

He types out a text, gives himself no more or less than three minutes to process the fact that it’s a real text he’s sending and not another prank in which Soonyoung makes him reenact Twilight verbatim, and then sends it. 

**Seokmin**

what are you

**Soonyoung**

it’s “i know what you are”! 

**Seokmin**

i’m serious

are you human.

**Soonyoung**

wtf bro I thought you supported me

**Seokmin**

what does that mean. 

**Soonyoung**

it’s really the ones closest to you… 

this hurts man

**Seokmin**

until this morning I didn’t even know non-humans existed

**Soonyoung**

you never seen like a squirrel? a bird…? 

**Seokmin**

what are you

**Soonyoung**

I’m a tiger :(

**Seokmin**

you have to be joking

**Soonyoung**

so all the times you horanghae’d with me…. were a lie? 

that meant nothing to you?

**Seokmin**

I JUST THOUGHT YOU WERE A FURRY??

**Soonyoung**

no that’s junhui

Seokmin’s phone rings.

“I’m too lazy to type anymore. Betray me to my face please.” 

“The client you referred to me is not a dog,” Seokmin whispers forcefully into the phone. “Forgetting everything else going on right now, as a survival strategy, let’s start there. I am a dog trainer. That guy was _not_ a dog.”

“Eh, same difference. What’d he do, greet you at the door? Shake your hand? Sounds pretty similar to me. I’m sure you can handle it! You’re great at your job.” 

“Oh, thank you.” Seokmin shakes his head. “No, stop that, I either need answers or for someone to wake me up from this insane dream.”

The line is silent for a second. “Am I supposed to do that like… through the phone? Because I’m not really sure how if I can’t pinch you, I guess I could yell real loud?”

“No, you’re supposed to give me answers!” 

“Oh. What’s the question?” 

“Why you didn’t tell me that you sent me to the house of a bunch of werewolves? And, when I would have clearly had some questions about that, why you didn’t tell me that _werewolves_ _are_ _real_?” Seokmin lowers his voice at the end, trying to avoid glances from others on the bus. Although, maybe all of them are also mythical creatures and won’t bat an eye. Who knows!

“Okay, first, I did literally tell you he was a wolf, so that one’s on you, dude. Second, a _bunch_ of werewolves? Was someone other than Mingyu there?” 

“Yeah, Minghao, the guy who I thought was the dog owner. He didn’t say much, but, like—I guess they both are? Because even the one who didn’t turn into a wolf in front of me seemed _offended_ at my being human, so—”

Soonyoung interrupts Seokmin by laughing. 

Seokmin holds the phone away from his face for a second while he cackles. 

“Oh man, if Minghao knew you said that… He’s a vampire, not a wolf. Obviously,” Soonyoung says, cheery.

“Right,” Seokmin echoes faintly. “Obviously.” 

“Look, I recommended you for a reason. It wasn’t a prank or anything, you’re good at this and I really do think you could help.”

Seokmin smiles at Soonyoung’s optimism, despite himself. It would be really helpful if he was an easier guy to stay mad at. “I’m not a therapist. I help dogs, not people.”

“Well, they’re not really people, are they!” 

“That does _not_ help,” Seokmin groans, stepping off the bus. He heads for his apartment building, regretfully ignoring the street food stalls on the way. He’d had plans to do other things today, of course, but doing anything except collapsing on his cheap lumpy bed seems hard to imagine now. 

“Oh, Minghao texted me just now,” Soonyoung says, still on the phone. “He says he thought you knew.” 

“I don’t know why you people seem to think that _any_ of this would be something I would know!” Seokmin exclaims, a bit out of breath from the uphill alley to his building. The panting makes him sound more upset than he really is, but Soonyoung doesn’t seem to notice.

“Really? He didn’t make _any_ jokes about drinking blood? That’s not like him.”

Seokmin is silent. A few flights of stairs up the narrow brick building give him time to hope Soonyoung senses his glare.

One of his neighbors greets him as he passes, lifting up a curtain into the stairwell. He nods politely at the older woman. She nods back from her seat on the floor, smiling sweetly. Is he going to find out she’s been a ghost or a witch or something this whole time? Is everyone around him hiding secrets like this?

“It seems like he really does feel bad about it,” Soonyoung offers.

“Or maybe he just wants to eat me!” 

“If it helps, I’m pretty sure he only does that consensually,” Soonyoung says, sounding like he really thinks it would help and not just send Seokmin down an entirely different spiral of thoughts. 

“Maybe he should be the one asking for my help then, not you. He has my number,” Seokmin says. 

“I think he’s embarrassed.” 

Seokmin things of long fingers, that calm voice. Adds in the fact that he’s apparently immortal. It’s hard to imagine that guy being embarrassed. 

“Come on, I know you. You do this job because you want to help. Not for money.”

Seokmin glances around his tiny apartment, the sink and bed practically on top of each other. Any available surface serves as a closet and he considers the door separating the toilet from the rest of it a luxury. 

He hadn’t gotten too much of a look into Minghao’s place, but it had seemed spacious and sparsely decorated, a perfect opposite of Seokmin’s. 

“I mean, money is nice. It is a helpful thing.”

“Which is why I’m telling you that Minghao not only wants your help but also is sitting on centuries of vampire wealth,” Soonyoung says.

Seokmin blinks. “Centuries. _Centuries?!_ ”

“Not the point I was trying to make…”

“Oh my god, he’s _old_. I was thirsting over an _old man_.” 

“Hell yeah, that’s what’s up.”

Seokmin sinks down onto his bed in shock.

“And here I thought you’d given him your number for strictly professional reasons, you dog!” Seokmin can hear the excessive winking in Soonyoung’s voice.

“And if I did, that’s my business,” Seokmin says primly. “But he’s almost definitely dating or wants to be dating Mingyu. Who is, in fact, a dog.” 

“See, there you go! He’s got a type.” 

Seokmin groans. “I hate that you’re being persuasive. What is wrong with me that you’re actually persuading me?” He says as he lies back, looking up at the ceiling.

“Hey, I know those mattress spring sounds. Are you home?”

“How can you even hear that?” Seokmin complains.

“Like I’ve been saying, dude, I’m—”

“Unbelievable.”

“And yet, I really thought you did believe me. It stings, I can’t lie,” Soonyoung says, voice filled with faux drama. 

Seokmin snorts. “I was just being supportive, only Jeonghan actually acts like he believes you, and he’s—Wait. No.”

Soonyoung just laughs into the phone. 

“He’s actually an angel?”

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s not like any of us were actually hiding this. Anyway, you’re home, right? Can I come down?” 

Seokmin stares upwards, picturing Soonyoung a few stories up already putting on his shoes. Befriending someone who lives practically on top of you has its downsides sometimes. “Hey, maybe later,” he says softly. 

“Oh,” Soonyoung says. “Are you… not okay? Like, for real?”

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Seokmin admits, realizing for the first time it’s true. Trust a fifteen-minute phone call of chaos with Soonyoung to calm him down enough to actually realize it. “I’m gonna take a nap or something, I think.”

“Okay, yeah, sure. Text me later if you want to get food or whatever,” Soonyoung says, a little quiet. “Is this… I mean, this doesn’t, like, change anything, does it? I’m the same guy, I swear.” 

“No, I know.” Seokmin does know, he thinks. And that’s a confusing sentence construction, but so is everything else that’s going on. He’s allowed to be a little confusing. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to you later.” 

A beat. “Okay!” Soonyoung says, cheery again. 

Seokmin sighs into the empty room after Soonyoung hangs up. Despite what he’d said about a nap, coffee sounds magical—Well, no, it just sounds good, he supposes. Is he going to have to adjust all of his internal monologue too now?—but it’s too late in the day and he’s still warm from the walk, so he grabs a popsicle from the freezer, almost in reach without leaving the end of his bed. 

All of the green ones are missing again, so his neighbour Junhui must have been by. Actually, he’s not sure if Junhui technically lives in the building or not. But Seokmin loves him dearly, so it’s okay. He’ll have to remember to restock soon. 

A few hours later, he walks upstairs and tells Soonyoung to buy him dinner. And then Soonyoung actually does, so Seokmin promises to think about calling Minghao. 

A week passes before he’s knocking at Minghao’s door again. He’s greeted by loud barking. Not unusual for Seokmin. The specific tenor and volume of this bark? A little alarming, he has to admit. 

“Uh, it’s me. The dog trainer,” Seokmin calls out over the noise.

There’s a pause and then some shuffling sounds. 

“Hi!” Mingyu smiles as he opens the door. 

Seokmin pauses for a moment to take in the full picture— Mingyu’s bright grin, messy hair, tight shirt—and wonders just what exactly he’s gotten himself into. He swallows. “I’m here to talk to Minghao? He’s left a few messages.” 

“Oh, sorry, he’s still asleep.” 

Seokmin glances down at his phone to see that it’s solidly one in the afternoon. Fair enough. 

“You could come in and wait for him? I was just about to make lunch,” Mingyu offers.

“As long as I’m not the lunch,” Seokmin says with an awkward chuckle. 

Mingyu laughs brightly, gesturing Seokmin in. “It’s short rib soup. That’s a good one though, people usually just go for kibble jokes.” 

Ushered into the kitchen, Seokmin leans against a counter and watches Mingyu stir a pot of what does indeed seem to be human food. 

He takes the time to observe the apartment, out of curiosity and also because it’s more polite than focusing on Mingyu’s arms and shoulders in the tank top he’s wearing beneath an apron. 

It _is_ a nice place, but decidedly homier than Seokmin had expected from what he’d seen of it last time. He’d had to go past a gate and above-ground parking lot to even get in, so of course it’s nicer than Seokmin’s own apartment, but the warm tones of wooden paneling and furniture distract from how expensive it must be. It’s nice, but also not as nice as it could be if Soonyoung was right about the centuries of wealth. It’s calm but still cozy and Seokmin can’t help but notice that it seems like a reflection of both Mingyu and Minghao.

The kitchen has room for cabinets and full-sized appliances, a foreign concept for Seokmin, but it’s also cluttered with a kettle, tea mugs, and clean dishes. Mingyu moves around it with ease and comfort, betraying experience which pays off because the soup is delicious, as Seokmin informs Mingyu through a mouthful. 

Mingyu seems genuinely delighted at the praise. “It’s nice to cook for someone who can actually appreciate it. Minghao doesn’t eat much, and I can’t put any garlic in anything I make for him,” he says with a pout. 

When Mingyu finishes his bowl, he continues to converse while chewing on leftover bones from the soup. 

Seokmin holds back comment but privately worries for Mingyu’s teeth. There are some synthetic rawhides in his backpack which he keeps as a safer chewing alternative for dogs, but that would probably be an impolite gift.

“So, I was planning on talking to Minghao, but I guess I should talk to you as well, while I’m here,” Seokmin says when he’s finished eating. “I know I made sort of an abrupt exit last week…”

Mingyu snorts. 

“But I’ve thought about it and I am still, uh… willing to offer my services.”

“It’s fine, really. It’s nice of you to offer, but we don’t need any help,” Mingyu says, standing up. He takes Seokmin’s bowl and heads to the sink, his back to the table. It’s a little brusque, discordant with Mingyu’s warm affect up to this point, and gives Seokmin pause.

Seokmin waits while the water runs, too loud to speak over. Probably, he should just take the out that Mingyu’s providing. Apologize for overstepping and go back to doing the job he actually knows how to do.

“I know you thought Minghao was just trying to make a point or something,” Seokmin says, once Mingyu turns off the faucet. “But I talked to him for half an hour about his concerns before even coming over. Granted, I thought you were a dog at the time, so we probably weren’t communicating super effectively, but still. I think he genuinely wanted to fix things and if I can be of help, I want to. Therapy isn’t just for dogs.”

“Therapy?” Mingyu echoes, turning to face Seokmin. 

Seokmin shrugs. “I didn’t actually intend to get into dog whispering, it’s not the sort of career you plan on. I did my undergrad in psychology.”

“Forgive my bluntness, but are you sure about this? About… us? You’re not scared?” Mingyu asks, gesturing at himself. “You seemed pretty freaked out the last time you were here.”

“Can you blame me?” Seokmin says with a smile, trying for brave but probably coming closer to shy.

Mingyu laughs, eyes scrunched up. “No, definitely not. I get scared of everything! Sometimes when I’m shifted, I see my own reflection and freak out.”

And, okay, that’s just unfairly cute, Seokmin thinks. Come on, he’s a noted dog lover, how is he supposed to deal with this? “Yeah, I was,” he admits instead. “I’m still pretty nervous about and unnerved by all of this. But what better way to get used to it than to just… get used to it? Jump right in, right?” 

Mingyu gives him an appraising look that lasts just long enough to make Seokmin squirm. Then he nods. “That’s admirable.” 

Seokmin flushes. “I don’t know about that. I should also probably admit that business isn’t exactly booming enough for me to be turning down potential clients.” 

Mingyu laughs. He falls silent after a moment, expression turning considering. He tilts his head to the side, which Seokmin reads, by default, like a dog lifting its ear to listen. 

He scolds himself afterwards. Mingyu isn’t _actually_ a dog, clearly, Seokmin shouldn’t assume things about his behaviour just because— 

“Minghao’s still asleep,” Mingyu says with a nod, almost to himself. 

Seokmin holds his tongue.

“If you’re serious,” Mingyu starts, voice low. “Then there’s something I should confess.”

“You _are_ going to eat me?” Seokmin asks, almost positive he means it as a joke.

Mingyu laughs at that, earnest. 

Seokmin notices his canine teeth again, this time on full display. They’re not quite sharp enough to fully read as inhuman, but they’re certainly attention-grabbing. _Not the worst way to go_ , Seokmin thinks.

“What was that?” Mingyu asks.

Shit. “Nothing.”

“Well, it’s not what I was going to say,” Mingyu says, holding back more laughter, “but I guess I should also confess that I have pretty good hearing.”

Seokmin looks up to the ceiling and prays for support. Maybe Jeonghan will hear him. He looks down too, just to cover his bases. 

“What I actually wanted to say was that… Um, I know I’ve been weird. I’m not just acting territorial because I can’t help it, or something. It’s just…” Mingyu pauses and lowers his voice again. “I’m sort of trying to deal with a slight crush right now and I know I’m not handling it well, but once I get over it, things will be fine,” he says in a rush. “I don’t think a dog whisperer is going to fix that.”

Seokmin blinks. “A crush? On who?”

Mingyu stares back pointedly. 

“Wait, you’re really not dating Minghao?” 

“No?”

“You live together, though.”

“We’re good friends,” Mingyu hisses. No, that feels wrong. Barks, maybe?

“You’ve got framed photos together hung up in your entryway.”

Mingyu nods. “You can see why I might be having some issues. But I’ll get over it! Or like, used to it, at least.”

“Oh boy,” Seokmin says. “Why _do_ you live together, then?” He glances around the apartment. “It can’t be to save on rent, surely?”

Mingyu looks down, ears turning red. “That’s probably a story best saved for a therapy session.”

Seokmin brightens. “So you’re on board? I have to admit, this is the first time I’ve needed both clients to agree,” he says with an awkward chuckle. 

“Ah, that’s not what I meant, sorry. I’m not trying to insult your profession or anything,” Mingyu says, scrubbing at the lower half of his face. “But I just need to get over it, you know? I don’t need obedience training for that.”

“I mean, I agree,” Seokmin says. “And not just because I’m afraid I’d ruin my reputation if I tried. I’m guessing you’re a little less motivated by treats and pats on the head than my typical clients.”

Mingyu hums. “I _do_ like treats,” he says with a shy smirk. 

Seokmin flushes. The tone is awfully flirty for a guy who just confessed to being into someone else a few moments ago. “Good to know!” He chokes out. “And also, good thing that’s not what I’m proposing. I’m offering… well, legally, I shouldn’t say therapy, because I’m not technically licensed for that. But you can’t tell me you wouldn’t benefit from talking about things. Everyone can! I talk all the time and it’s great.”

Mingyu really needs to stop smiling at Seokmin like that if he wants there to be any hope of Seokmin ever shutting up. 

“If you really just need to get over it, fine, but don’t you think it could at least help smooth things over with Minghao, in the meantime?” Seokmin continues. “He was worried enough about this that he tried to hire a professional.” 

“Ah, I don’t know…” Mingyu sighs. “I really don’t think it’s that big of a deal and I feel like doing this would make it into one.”

“Let me hit you with a question, then. Were you upset that Minghao contacted me? Either for going behind your back or for… Well, for hiring a _dog_ trainer.” Seokmin raises an eyebrow. 

Mingyu’s expression turns soft. “No, of course not. He probably genuinely thought this was normal. I don’t think he’s had many mortal friends in a while, let alone any wolves.”

“It seems to me like, even if the original issue is just temporary, things breaking down enough in communication that this situation happened _is_ kind of a big deal.”

Mingyu frowns.

“Which I don’t say to worry you! I just mean that I think there’s plenty to talk about.” Seokmin smiles, apologetic. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. It’s like talking to a friend about it, except one who’s neutral and will have good advice! And also a friend that you’re hiring. And one who’s going to take notes on what you say and analyze it.” 

“Well, when you put it like that,” Mingyu says, “how can I refuse?” He laughs and leans forward with it, top of his head facing forward. 

Seokmin bravely resists the urge to pat it. 

At that moment, Minghao walks into the kitchen and squints at Seokmin. He’s clearly just woken up—untamed hair, round glasses, and a full silk pajama set on that looks like it’s more expensive than Seokmin’s rent. Mingyu smiles at him from the table, bone hanging out of his mouth. 

After a second of staring at Seokmin, Minghao’s face lights up in recognition. “Oh! You came back?” 

Seokmin takes one last second to consider how fully screwed he is before nodding. “Yeah.” 

Seokmin clears Tuesdays from his schedule and shows up the next week. It feels weird to go out without any treats in his pockets, so he sticks some jelly beans in there on his way out. 

Maybe he’ll offer them to Mingyu in reward for opening up about himself, Seokmin thinks with a snort as he knocks. 

Mingyu answers the door without barking this time. He shows Seokmin to a room at the end of the hallway—

_“I don’t have an office or anything, since my clients can’t usually like, use chairs,” Seokmin said when the topic of logistics came up._

_“We can do it here. There’s an office that’s soundproofed,” Minghao replied._

_Seokmin raised a single eyebrow._

_“Not like that! Geez,” Mingyu cut in. “Just because of the supernatural hearing thing. Privacy’s a bit hard to come by around here.”_

_Seokmin made a mental note to use the restroom before visiting._

—and sits in one of two chairs, leaving a long empty desk for Seokmin to sit behind. 

They’d settled on afternoon sessions, Mingyu before Minghao as a concession for the apparent schedule for the undead, with the goal of eventually moving to one joint session. 

“First, I just want to get to know you both individually, give you a space to air your side of things,” Seokmin says. 

Mingyu nods but doesn’t offer anything, just glancing around the room.

“You mentioned that the reason you two live together would be a good story for a session. It’s a session now, how about it?”

“Ah… It’s not actually that deep or anything, sorry. I just didn’t want to get into it right then.”

Seokmin smiles kindly. “I’d still like to hear.”

“Yeah, okay.” Mingyu nods to himself. “I’ve always been close with my family. I grew up just south of the city, our house backed up to a big forest that we’d go on runs through. The whole area’s a major wolf settlement, actually. A lot of people down there, especially the wolves, don’t really go to school.”

“University or altogether?” Seokmin asks. 

“At all,” Mingyu confirms. “There are high schools and stuff, of course. But most of the jobs there don’t require it and it’s the kind of community that takes care of its own. There’s a subway line in if anyone really needs something from the city, so.” Mingyu shrugs. “There’s just not much need.” 

“So you moved here to go to school?” 

“Yeah. I didn’t even have anything specific in mind, which was kind of stupid.” Mingyu laughs at himself, not all too kindly.

“Hey, I’m not one to judge,” Seokmin says, holding his hands up. “It took me two years to land on a major and this is my first time really using it. So… thanks for that!” 

The tension in Mingyu’s shoulders clears. “Happy to help.”

Seokmin winks. 

Mingyu shakes his head, amused. “I just felt like I needed to get out, but I didn’t realize what I was getting myself into. The city…” he trails off.

“It was hard to adjust?” Seokmin prompts.

“It was a lot. Living on my own, away from my family, and in a place with so much going on. So many new people and things and nowhere to run around at night except public parks filled with drunk people and couples. And it _smells_ ,” Mingyu says, wrinkling his nose at the mere thought. “Minghao was in one of my classes, and—”

“Really?” Seokmin interrupts, surprised. Wouldn’t he be a bit old for that? 

“Oh, yeah, he has like, a million degrees.” Mingyu nods sagely. “It’s what I’d do if I had almost-forever too, probably. He was trying out pre-med at the time, I think, because he was in my intro biology class.” 

“ _Almost_ forever?” 

“I mean, he’s not actually immortal. He’s prone to hyperbole so he might say he is, but he’s not.” Mingyu rolls his eyes fondly.

Seokmin blinks. “Oh. I’ll have to ask him about that.”

“Standard conversation topic, huh?” Mingyu smiles, wry.

Seokmin appreciates Mingyu’s attitude about this, casual but still understanding. Seokmin is doing his best to adjust, he’d like to think, but a few conspiratorial looks from Mingyu go a long way in reminding Seokmin that, yeah, this _is_ crazy, but he’s not. 

“Anyway, we hit it off pretty easily. He switched into a different program but we kept in touch all through university. I lived alone in a dorm while I was in school, which was actually nice since I was close to people but not _too_ close, you know? I miss the sort of pack-style living from back home but human roommates would’ve been overwhelming, especially when I first moved here.”

Seokmin nods encouragingly when Mingyu pauses.

“I was embarrassed about it at the time, but I eventually mentioned to Hao that I was looking for a place after I graduated and worried about finding a roommate. I didn’t say why I didn’t want to live alone but I think he knew because he offered to let me move in with him. He’s quiet, sleeps in late, and doesn’t use the kitchen, so it’s sort of perfect.”

“That’s nice,” Seokmin hums, sincere, although he notices that Mingyu leaves out what he thinks Minghao gets out of it, or why he would have offered in the first place. He debates asking more but decides it might be something to discuss with Minghao instead. “What did you major in, then?”

“Oh! Kinesiology, I’m a personal trainer. I wake up pretty early to do my own workouts and then take appointments with clients at a gym nearby, so that’s why the scheduling works out.”

Seokmin unsubtly takes in Mingyu’s physique. It’s nice to know that he works for it, at least. “I can see that,” Seokmin says. “You being a good trainer, that is. Do you like it?”

Mingyu nods. “I have a lot of energy,” he says, scratching at the back of his neck sheepishly. “It’s nice to put that towards helping people. I think I’d be unbearable if I had to sit at an office job all day.” 

“I feel that,” Seokmin says. He pauses and looks down at the desk he’s seated behind. “Well, this is an exception, obviously. I like talking too!” 

Mingyu laughs along with him, eyes nearly closed with it. 

Mingyu is more serious than Seokmin first expected. Not shy, exactly, he gives smiles away freely and seems to have warmed up to Seokmin easily. He has no trouble joking around on heavier topics and answers Seokmin’s questions forthrightly. But he falls into contemplative silences often, considering his responses carefully. 

When conversation moves to the issues with Minghao, Seokmin lets Mingyu thinks on it for a few moments and decide what he wants to say. 

“It’s not that I don’t know I’m being clingy,” he says eventually. “I just didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I didn’t realize Minghao was upset by it until he told me he’d called you.”

“Concerned,” Seokmin corrects gently. “He’s not upset about it, he’s worried. He thought something must have happened and was scared when you wouldn’t tell him what.”

“Oh. Well, nothing happened. Not really.” he sighs. “It got worse when I realized I liked him, I guess, but it’s also just how I grew up.”

“Why don’t we walk through some of what’s been going on? I’ve only heard his interpretation of things and I’d like to hear yours.”

“Okay. Um, I guess I’ve probably been a bit touchier than I used to be? But I’ve always been that kind of person, I think, and he hasn’t seemed to mind it before. He’s also way more comfortable touching me than he used to be,” Mingyu says, a touch defensive.

“I don’t think he was worried about that,” Seokmin says with a smile, “but good to know. I was thinking more like, barking at the door. Is that even a thing wolves do? Do they bark?”

Mingyu curls in on himself a bit. “I don’t know. Things are sort of different when I’m shifted. It’s still me, I mean, I feel like myself. Maybe it’s the different sensory experiences or something, I don’t know, but it’s just a little harder to hide how I’m feeling.”

Seokmin nods, doing his best to understand. Again, he appreciates that Mingyu is at least attempting to explain stuff like this, even if Seokmin doesn’t really get it. “Like you have trouble with impulse control?”

“Sort of?” Mingyu stretches back in his chair, thinking about his words. “Sorry, it’s hard to explain. I don’t think Hao really gets it either, hence the…” He trails off, gesturing at Seokmin. 

Seokmin laughs at that. “A fair assessment.” 

“Maybe because I can’t talk when shifted, I tend to just communicate however comes naturally,” Mingyu says after a moment. “Growing up, I wasn’t shifted around anyone who wasn’t also a wolf, so that’s how I learned to speak in that form. There was no reason to hide anything, it was the opposite. If you have something that needs to be said, you want to say it as quickly and clearly as possible. Affection, danger, whatever. Not a lot of subtlety.”

“That’s interesting,” Seokmin hums. 

Mingyu snorts. 

“No, I mean it! Understanding dogs is my thing, it’s honestly really cool to get some insight from how it might feel to be… their ancestor, I guess.” Seokmin taps his chin. 

Mingyu pouts a bit. “I’m not actually a dog,” he says, sounding only like he’s mostly teasing.

Seokmin tries to look less hopelessly endeared than he is when he nods and says “Yeah, I know. But hey, maybe you could consult on my next tough case.” 

Mingyu laughs. “Are you a dog trainer or a detective?” 

“I like to think of it as a bit of both,” Seokmin answers. 

“I’m a little offended I’m not your toughest case, then.”

“Oh, I didn’t say that,” Seokmin says, squinting exaggeratedly across the desk. “You’re a real mystery, for sure.” 

Mingyu grins, perhaps letting it slip a bit predatory on purpose. 

Seokmin swallows. “My next clue being that Minghao mentioned you not liking people in his space?”

Mingyu’s grin fades into a wince.

“Am I onto something?” Seokmin prods.

“I might have growled at a woman who sat too close to him on the subway once,” Mingyu admits.

Seokmin blinks. “Okay, I have no frame of reference here, help me out. Like normal human growl, sort of a big sigh, or like…”

“Like she jumped out of her seat and probably thought there was a wild animal in the subway car,” Mingyu answers, hanging his head.

Seokmin purses his lips.

“It’s okay, you can laugh.” 

“That’s amazing,” Seokmin snickers. “I would’ve pissed my pants. Wow.”

“I felt bad about it!” Mingyu complains. “I didn’t mean to do it that loudly, it just sort of slipped out.”

“Now, when _dogs_ growl,” Seokmin awkwardly emphasizes the word, trying to show he’s not calling Mingyu a dog, again, “it’s usually a warning of some sort.” 

Mingyu tilts his head.

“If it were a dog, I’d be worried about the next step being biting or attacking,” Seokmin says cautiously.

“I wouldn’t do that!” Mingyu protests. “I’m not _that_ out of control.”

Seokmin nods. “Good enough for me.”

Mingyu stares at Seokmin before starting to laugh. “Seriously?”

“What? I just had to ask! I’m sure if I could ask my dog clients they’d answer ‘ _Yes, I love to bite strangers!’_ ” Seokmin puts on a gruff voice in how he imagines a Rottweiler might sound. “They’re pretty honest creatures and I get the sense you are too.”

“Thanks, I think.” 

“But if it’s not a warning, growling is probably indicating either fear or pain,” Seokmin says.

Mingyu crosses his arms. “I’m not _afraid_. I already told you what the issue is. I don’t imagine you have too many dog clients with crushes, so I’m not sure your logic stands.”

Seokmin decides to let that denial slide. A question for another day. “You don’t know that, I’m a pretty charming guy,” he teases instead, raising his eyebrows up and down. 

“I’ll have to be careful then,” Mingyu says. He raises his eyebrows back and holds eye contact with Seokmin.

A knock sounds at the door to the office.

“Oh,” Seokmin says, checking his phone. “That’s our time for today.”

Mingyu stands up, the air still a bit tense.

“One more thing, before you go. The other issue Minghao had mentioned was delivery workers?” Seokmin asks. This has been the thing confusing him the most since learning Mingyu isn’t actually a dog. The other issues could likely be attributed to jealousy, but this is textbook territorial dog behaviour that doesn’t seem to track with what Seokmin knows of him. 

Mingyu grimaces at the question. “You mean the people he has over to drink from?”

Wait, what? “What?” 

“Why don’t you ask him about it?” Mingyu says with a slight scowl, motioning to the door with his head.

Mingyu opens the door and trades places with Minghao, heading off further into the apartment. 

Minghao sits down in front of Seokmin with a soft smile. “Hey, how did it go?”

“You _eat_ the delivery people?” Seokmin blurts out. 

“‘Drink from’ would be a more accurate phrasing, but yes.”

Seokmin nods slowly. “Sure, yeah, of course.”

“It’s the best of a few bad options.” Minghao shrugs. “It’s not a bad job, I think. The hours are limited, to make sure no one gives more than is safe. And it pays a lot better than regular delivery.” Minghao leans forward in his chair to hold his phone out to Seokmin.

There’s an app open with an order screen pulled up. Seokmin blinks at the screen, processing the final number on it.

“Almost all of that goes straight to the worker,” Minghao says. 

“Damn,” Seokmin answers, voice distant with shock. “Are they hiring?”

Minghao snatches the phone back and crosses his arms. He looks across at Seokmin with a frown just begging to be a pout.

“Just kidding.” Seokmin chuckles. “I love my job!”

Minghao's smile returns at that. 

And, well, that’s no wonder. He had _just_ hired Seokmin, of course he’d be concerned to hear him talk about quitting. 

“I wasn’t planning to jump straight into the questions about my diet, but if you have more, go ahead,” Minghao gestures with one hand. “I assumed you were more acquainted with these things, given your association with Soonyoung, so the least I can do in apology is answer your questions.” 

“You’ve already apologized too many times,” Seokmin waves him off. “Just don’t eat me and I’ll call it even.”

Minghao frowns. “I would not—”

“At least now I know you’d pay me well if you did!” Seokmin interrupts. “Sorry, I don’t mean any offense by it, just a lot to process.”

“What were you expecting?” Minghao asks, eyebrows drawn. 

“I don’t know, like, a mini-fridge full of blood bags or something? I was trying not to think about it at all, to be honest.” 

Minghao makes a face. “Cold blood does not go down well.” 

Seokmin nods, trying to school his expression. It’s a little harder to swallow than talking to Mingyu. Like cold blood even, apparently. 

“The same network does provide bagged options, yes, but it’s less…” Minghao pauses, maybe searching for a word, “potent? I need more when it’s not fresh, meaning there’s less for people who actually need the blood.” 

Seokmin frowns, confused.

“I’m more than aware that the blood donor pool is one I share with the hospital transfusions list,” Minghao explains with a sigh. “I try not to feel guilty about it. I am alive and I have a right to stay alive,” he says fiercely.

Seokmin nods. The contrast between this and his previous conversation with Mingyu is stark, leaving him feeling even more lost, but he can agree with that sentiment. 

“I didn’t choose this,” Minghao continues, “but still. A transfusion patient doesn’t lick their lips afterwards. I remain ever conscious of that.” 

There’s something intentional about the way Minghao speaks, Seokmin observes, like he’s really thinking about the meaning of each word as he says it. It could be a language thing, but he’s clearly fluent and well-practiced. More likely, it’s just a Minghao thing. Maybe it comes with age.

“Fresh donors mean less blood. They also mean I can check up on them on their visits. Vampires are not, on the whole, worse than any other group or creature, but that’s a wide margin of error.” Minghao smiles sadly. “When I meet them in person, I can check up on the donor’s health. Ensure they’re properly hydrated, not donating too much. Tip them directly.”

Seokmin just nods again. 

“Mingyu has always seemed to agree with my sentiments on the matter,” Minghao offers a slight shrug, “making this situation even more confusing.”

“Yeah, I ran out of time to talk to him too much about it, actually. What exactly _is_ the situation?”

“He seems angry with me whenever I have someone over. He used to just go for a run or stay in his bedroom, but lately, he’s taken to shifting and pacing by the door or up and down the hallway instead. And then he’ll spend the rest of the evening giving me a cold shoulder, whichever form he’s in.”

Seokmin considers that. In a dog, territoriality might explain the pacing and aggression. Having someone unfamiliar in what the dog considers their space can be stressful and scary. But it wouldn’t explain acting aloof after the stranger is gone, typically they’d act even more attached to the familiar face. Unless—

“Does he smell you?”

Minghao looks at Seokmin, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Nights when you have someone over. After they’re gone, does he sniff you or around you? As a wolf, I mean.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve noticed, given he’s usually ignoring me. But maybe a few times he has, yes?”

Seokmin nods to himself. If Minghao still smells of the stranger even after they’re gone, Mingyu might be avoiding him not out of anger but so as to not have to continue sensing the intruder in their space. If he’s only recently begun shifting while Minghao has people over, it would make sense for that to be a lingering effect that Mingyu wasn’t used to. 

“Why are you nodding? Does that mean something?”

“Maybe,” Seokmin answers neutrally. “Just a theory. I’ll need to talk to Mingyu more about it.”

Minghao frowns. 

It’s sort of funny. Minghao seems like he’d normally be a patient person, but it appears he’s pretty impatient when it comes to this. “What do you think the issue is?” Seokmin asks, steering the conversation back towards its subject.

“I guess I wonder if he’s finally grown disgusted with me,” Minghao confesses. 

Seokmin barely manages to hold back a laugh. “I don’t think that’s it.”

“It’s the only thing that seems to make sense to me. My mere presence seems to set him on edge these days. Maybe he’s acting out in the hopes that I’ll get the hint and move out.”

Seokmin bites his tongue. It’s tempting to prod a bit further, maybe try to lead Minghao to the right conclusion. Does disgust explain Mingyu acting territorial when they’re in public or his physical affection towards Minghao? Has Minghao forgotten it’s _his_ apartment in the first place?

But that would be unfair to Mingyu, to the trust he’s placed in Seokmin by telling him.

If nothing else, it’s too soon for Seokmin to tell if it would even be a good idea. He’s not above meddling if the situation requires it—their fault for not hiring a real therapist who has a real code of ethics to follow. 

But as much as he thinks he can read the fondness in Minghao’s eyes when he looks at or speaks of Mingyu, it’s not conclusive. Revealing Mingyu’s secret without being sure how it would be received would be incredibly stupid of Seokmin at this point, beyond it beingg disloyal.

Oh, but it’s so tempting to do it anyway. 

“I really don’t think that’s it, but I’ll look into it,” Seokmin promises. “In the meantime, the more I know about both of you, the better. For, you know, therapeutic reasons.”

Minghao stifles a laugh. “Yeah, I figured. What do you want to know about?”

“Ah, well…” Seokmin hesitates, unsure if it’s a safe topic to breach. “I talked with Mingyu about his family, is that…”

Minghao smiles and it seems like a genuine one, not a sad one, so Seokmin might be safe. “They move around a lot, as all of us tend to.”

“So they’re also…”

Minghao nods, laughing at Seokmin’s hesitance to say the word. “I was born like this, yes.”

Seokmin sighs audibly before catching himself. “Sorry, I—“

“You were worried I had some sort of tragic backstory?” Minghao asks, gaze knowing but amused. “There certainly are those with less than savoury beginnings to this life, but I am fortunate not to be one of them.”

“You’re not close with your family, then?”

Minghao frowns, pensive. “It’s a different kind of closeness when you have as many years as we do. I call my mother… monthly, maybe? She doesn’t really understand phones,” he says with a wince, “so more frequently than that would be difficult. Whether by nature or necessity, I’m not sure, but we’re not the sort who need to say it all the time to know we care for each other.”

Seokmin smiles, genuine. “That’s nice.” 

“And your family?” 

Seokmin starts to answer but pauses. He tries to recall his own experiences with actual therapy—are you supposed to talk about yourself? Is that allowed? 

“Ah, I apologize if I’ve overstepped.”

“No, no,” Seokmin says quickly. “It’s fine, it’s just not that interesting. My parents own a restaurant and I have a sister in university. I moved out a few years ago but I still help out around the place sometimes. I don’t see them as often as I should and they worry about me more than they should. Standard stuff, really.” 

“That’s nice to hear,” Minghao says, echoing Seokmin with a soft smile.

And, well, maybe that was unprofessional, but Seokmin thinks it’s probably important to share at least as much as he’s asking Minghao to share and it was worth it either way to keep conversation moving, which Seokmin steers back to Minghao’s past. It’s a bit overwhelming to think there are probably more years of stories than Minghao could ever tell, but he graciously tells some anyway about the last time he visited home. 

Seokmin keeps an eye on the clock this time and brings up his last question a few minutes before their time is up. “Why did you invite Mingyu to live with you?”

Minghao frowns. “Because he needed somewhere to live. Why else?” 

“I don’t know,” Seokmin says, leaning back in his chair and trying to sell the wise therapist thing. “You tell me.” 

“Are you insinuating something?” 

Seokmin snorts. “I think I’ve done that already.” 

Minghao’s cheeks colour, remembering Seokmin’s question the first time he was over, presumably. 

It’s pretty. The flush, that is. Isn’t there supposed to be something about vampires and blushing? Seokmin will have to remember to ask how it’s possible. 

“Mingyu and I are friends. I don’t see anything wrong with wanting to live with a good friend.” Minghao’s lips are downturned, but in a way that suggests he’s genuinely confused by the question, not defensive. 

Seokmin searches his face for something more but if it’s there, he isn’t able to read Minghao well enough to see it. “Of course not,” he says after a moment, sensing that pushing further today won’t be helpful. 

Maybe Seokmin is just seeing a simple solution instead of reality. It would certainly be the easiest route to just push the two together and fix Mingyu’s jealousy problem. Seokmin does like happy endings. But there’s a real possibility that there isn’t one here, at least not like that, and Seokmin needs to be careful not to invent one. 

Besides, even if that were to happen, it might not actually fix the situation. The solution to a territorial dog isn’t to never go anywhere or let anyone come over, it’s to help them to not feel stressed by visitors. Getting together with Minghao might even make Mingyu’s problems worse, by that logic. 

Seokmin nods to himself and wraps up the session, resolved to observe both of them further before suggesting any actions.

With that in mind, he stops on his way out, looking back inside the apartment before he shuts the door. Mingyu hovers in the kitchen while Minghao walks Seokmin out. 

“Tomorrow night,” Seokmin calls out. “Drinks are on me?” 

Supernatural hearing, indeed. Mingyu turns to face him immediately, surprise on his face.

“It’s standard practice whenever I take on a new client,” Seokmin rushes to explain.

This is not strictly true. But not entirely false either, in his defense. He _does_ usually go for drinks whenever he gets a new long-term client. If he happens to imply that it’s with the clients themselves instead of with Soonyoung at the bar a few blocks from their building, that’s not his fault. 

“I think it would be nice to get to know you two together and outside of a professional setting,” Seokmin says, which _is_ true, albeit horrible clinical practice. But he’s not technically a therapist so he can do whatever he likes. Talking to Minghao and Mingyu separately is good for detailed conversations but he’s realizing how hard it will be to give advice on their relationship when he hasn’t even seen them interact that much. 

The most important truth is that if he went out with Soonyoung, it would not be a celebration but instead would almost certainly turn into Seokmin lamenting the giant crushes he has managed to form on not just one but both of his new clients, the same clients whom he intends to matchmake with each other. 

And thinking about that too hard _truly_ makes Seokmin want to get drunk, so it’s a perfect solution. 

“That sounds nice, but I’m not letting you pay,” Mingyu says. 

“Oh no, I couldn’t,” Seokmin argues.

“Trust me,” Minghao cuts in, nodding, “you want him to.” 

“Are you a _lightweight_?” Seokmin asks, staring in wonder at the flush in Minghao’s cheeks across the table in the restaurant-bar. It’s too poorly lit to get the full picture and Seokmin briefly entertains the idea of switching on his phone flashlight to get a better look. 

“I get drunk quite easily,” Minghao answers, swirling around a glass of wine. “Something about how my body processes nutrients and such. I actually like red wine, though. The bitter taste, it just…” He hums in thought. “It’s…” 

“Does it taste like _blood_?” Seokmin asks, lowering his voice. Probably not as low as he should, but he’s already feeling the alcohol himself. 

“Nooooo,” Minghao says, laughing. “It just tastes…” He pauses again, licking his lips, “less awful than other stuff.” 

“Oh.” Seokmin frowns, genuinely saddened by that. “All food is really that bad for you?”

Minghao nods seriously. He’s making quite intense eye contact with Seokmin. “Mingyu’s cooking is better than most, but still. I don’t understand how you guys do it,” he complains, talking with his hands as well. 

Mingyu snorts around a bite of chicken but he looks pleased at the praise.

“What about…” Seokmin thinks intently. “What about raw steak? That’s got blood.”

Minghao frowns, considering his suggestion solemnly.

Mingyu giggles from across the table, watching them both. 

“What,” Minghao asks, frown slipping into a pout.

“You’re thinking about it so hard!”

“It was a good question!”

Seokmin beams. 

“I think it would still just taste bad,” Minghao decides after a moment, nodding to himself, “but with some good in there.”

“That makes sense.” Seokmin bobs his head in agreement.

“No, it doesn’t,” Mingyu says, amused. 

Minghao tries to frown at him but it’s interrupted by a hiccup. 

“Are you really allergic to the sun?” Seokmin asks, trying to remember other questions he has for Minghao.

Minghao nods.

“Wow,” Seokmin says. 

“No, he’s not.” Mingyu rolls his eyes but can’t seem to keep the fondness out of it. “He just gets a sunburn.” 

“A _bad_ sunburn,” Minghao insists. 

“You’re no fun,” Seokmin says voice high with surprise. He turns to Mingyu. “I can’t believe _you’re_ the one who’s no fun.”

“I know, right!” Minghao chimes in, pointing his glass of wine in Mingyu’s direction. “No fun!” he echoes.

Mingyu pours himself another shot and downs it. “It takes me longer to feel it,” he says, lips pursed around the liquor. It makes two tiny dimples appear above the corners of his mouth. “I have a fast metabolism.”

“Woah,” Seokmin says, earnest. He grabs Mingyu’s arm to tell him how cool that is. “That’s so cool.”

Mingyu rolls his eyes again. “Not really,” he says, smacking on some chicken loudly. After a second, he pulls a bone out of his mouth, all chewed up. 

Seokmin reaches over the table and pats him on the head.

Mingyu just stares at him.

“I’ve been wanting to do that so bad,” Seokmin whispers like it’s a confession.

Minghao nods. “I get that,” he says with a sigh. 

“You do?” Mingyu asks, voice rising at the end as his face slowly takes on color. 

Seokmin notices his lisp more prominently as the night goes on, one of the only indications he has that Mingyu is actually affected by the bottles of liquor piling up on their table. 

For the most part, Mingyu seems content to sit there and eat loudly while Minghao and Seokmin talk. 

Seokmin takes notice after a while and turns to apologize, although he hasn’t figured out how to say what he’s apologizing for yet. 

Mingyu waves him off. “No, it’s nice,” he says, gesturing to Seokmin and Minghao. The contradiction between his wide arm movements and succinct words catches Seokmin off-guard and he can’t help but laugh at it. 

But Mingyu seems to mean his words, so Seokmin shrugs and goes back to asking Minghao about crosses and silver. 

Minghao tries to tap out after a second glass of wine, but Mingyu keeps trying to refill his glass with the other alcohol they’ve ordered. 

“No, I need to stop,” Minghao whines as he takes an obedient sip of the beer Mingyu’s just poured him. 

“But it’s empty!” Mingyu protests, like that’s all there is to it. 

Minghao giggles, high-pitched and almost sounding more like he’s saying the laugh than actually laughing, but it slips out of him like he can’t help it and is definitely sincere. Seokmin wants to write it down, remember it. 

Mingyu also keeps asking Seokmin if he wants more food. The first few times, Seokmin says he’s fine. He honestly really likes the little snacks they put on the table! 

Then he watches Mingyu absolutely put away a plate of chicken and thinks he understands why Minghao had insisted on letting them pay. 

As for any therapeutic purposes, Seokmin does indeed get his answer. For all Minghao and Mingyu have complained about each other separately, it’s more than evident after watching them together that they’re not overburdened by their problems. 

Although they take care to not exclude Seokmin, the two of them are clearly communicating on the same wavelength, both well-matched and well-acquainted. Compatibility and years of friendship shine through in their easy touches and shared glances. 

They’re undeniably in love with each other. 

Maybe it’s all the alcohol in his system, but Seokmin finds that fact doesn’t sting as much as he’d thought it might. 

Sessions with Mingyu progress easily, in a way that’s a bit surprising to Seokmin. Mingyu is a little harder to capital-T _Talk_ to than Minghao, but maybe that's okay. Joking with Mingyu is good too. 

Not that they don't discuss things. It just comes more naturally to play around with him instead. 

Sometimes it seems to toe a line into flirtation that Seokmin doesn’t quite know how to handle. So he just… doesn’t. Some people like to flirt with their friends, Seokmin included. Most likely, it just means Mingyu considers him a friend, which is nice. Really nice, actually, maybe nicer than Seokmin was worried it would be. 

Seokmin’s good about that, he likes to think. At just sort of letting his affection be. Yes, he’s attracted to Mingyu, but that doesn’t have to affect anything. Maybe it’ll go away one day, like it had with Soonyoung, or maybe it won’t. It never affected his relationship with Soonyoung and their friendship isn’t any less meaningful just because it had never changed into anything else. 

Friendship with Mingyu is good and keeping their sessions playful turns out to be an effective way of getting to know Mingyu better. 

A few weeks in, Seokmin asks Mingyu to tell him more about his job. Mingyu offers to show him instead. It’s fun for a few minutes, but Mingyu quickly leans into it, playfully pushing Seokmin’s buttons. 

“Come on, you call that a squat? Deeper!” Mingyu yells out as Seokmin tries to finish a set. They’ve pushed the chairs out of the way and Mingyu is leaning over him, watching him with a grin as he coaches.

“I thought you said you were an encouraging trainer!” Seokmin pants. He’s in jeans, for god’s sake. 

He reaches out to shove at Mingyu, who just laughs and moves with it before pushing back. 

Minghao knocks, but after a few minutes of being unanswered, he slides the door open to see Seokmin on the floor, kicking at Mingyu who has a hand over Seokmin’s mouth. 

Minghao stands in the doorway for several moments, silent. 

Seokmin pushes himself up and moves to apologize. Not very professional, no doubt. 

Minghao stops him before he can get the words out by breaking into laughter, shoulders shaking with it. “He’s ticklish under the armpits,” he tells Seokmin, complete with a wink.

Seokmin stares back, mouth open. 

“Get in here and prove it, then!” Mingyu calls. 

Minghao throws Seokmin a conspiratorial glance and enters. He leans over a bit in front of Seokmin, hands on his knees, and says “Hop on.” 

At a loss for words, Seokmin follows the instructions. Minghao doesn’t even stumble when Seokmin jumps on his back. 

“Two versus one should be fair, right?” Minghao teases, straightening easily. His grip on Seokmin’s thighs is firm, stable. 

Seokmin takes a moment to pray for strength before throwing his hands in the air and yelling “Onward!” 

Minghao charges forward happily, eyes on Mingyu’s crossed arms. 

The next week, Seokmin asks Mingyu if he’d like to tag along on another of Seokmin’s house calls. Since he’d shown Seokmin his work, it was only fair, right? 

Minghao sleepily declines an invitation to join, muttering something about not being a dog person with a slight pout. Which is just as well, because Seokmin hadn’t actually planned this in advance and doesn’t know how his client would have reacted to him showing up with _two_ strangers in tow and no warning.

As it is, he introduces Mingyu as his student, a fellow trainee alongside the German shepherd that they’re there for today. Mingyu smiles charmingly and the client waves him inside, visibly flustered. 

The dog, named Kuri, barks loudly at Mingyu, but he’s in training for territorial aggression and barking, so it doesn’t register as odd with the owner. 

Truthfully, Seokmin doesn’t know if it _is_ odd or not. Dogs usually react differently to new dogs on their territory than they do to humans but there’s no telling how they’d react to Mingyu, who isn’t quite either. 

Actually, that could be useful, Seokmin realizes. 

“Mingyu, can you go outside and walk past the window? Slowly, and maybe even look inside, but don’t come in.”

Mingyu does so without asking questions, which Seokmin appreciates since it really helps sell the appearance that he knows what he’s doing. 

Kuri races to the window and barks the moment Mingyu comes into view. It’s a German shepherd bark, low and intimidating, but Mingyu does perfectly and doesn’t react. 

Seokmin approaches the dog, who is familiar with him at this point. “Thank you, Kuri,” he says. “Good boy, thank you for protecting me. I see him, I’ve got it under control.”

He walks up to the window and makes a point of checking outside, spotting Mingyu. He waves and then goes back to the dog, still barking. 

The owner watches from the kitchen as he does this. She’s familiar with the concept, but it’s easier to demonstrate sometimes than to explain. Having Seokmin come in and work with Kuri regularly will establish that this is a pattern the dog should be expected to follow with a variety of people and will make it easier for the owner to follow through on Seokmin’s demonstration. 

When the dog doesn’t stop barking, Seokmin calmly says “Bathroom,” and leads him into a nearby bathroom, shutting the door behind them both. 

Kuri barks for a while longer before settling down, eventually seeing that Seokmin won’t be opening the door until he’s calm. 

Seokmin texts Mingyu to ask him to do the same thing over again. He pats Kuri on the head a few times before opening the door, sure to communicate that Seokmin is not upset with him. 

They do this several times, just enough until Seokmin sees that Kuri understands the correlation between his barking and being put in the bathroom. 

“It’s not a punishment,” Seokmin explains to Mingyu on the commute back. “It’s to calm the dog down. Everything going on gets him riled up, so I give him a chance to de-stress. I don’t want to suppress the barking altogether, because then he’ll feel like he doesn’t have any outlet and might attack without warning. But after thanking him for alerting us, he should trust us to handle the issue and stop barking. If he doesn’t, it means he’s still feeling stressed or threatened, so I get him out of the situation and away from any stimuli that are going to make it worse.” 

“I can relate to that,” Mingyu says with a soft laugh. 

“You did well, thank you for the help.”

Mingyu ducks his head at the praise.

“She's a nice woman,” Seokmin continues, speaking about the owner. “No husband or family to speak of, so she got the dog for protection.

“He’s certainly doing that!” 

Seokmin nods. “Dogs can pick up on that kind of thing, on the owner's need and emotions. He _is_ doing a good job, he just needs a little bit of help, to be pointed in the right direction. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Are you implying I need to lock myself in the bathroom?” Mingyu asks, unimpressed.

“Of course not! I just thought you just might like to meet a cute dog,” Seokmin says with a grin.

Mingyu purses his lips, wrinkling his cheeks up. 

“Okay, I'm a little bit implying that,” Seokmin admits. “Not to that level, of course. But it _is_ okay to remove yourself from stressful situations.”

“You mean when Minghao has people over?” Mingyu asks after a moment.

Seokmin nods. He hadn’t figured he’d need to explain much more—Mingyu’s more perceptive than he lets on. 

“I’ve tried, but it’s hard! This stupid hearing,” Mingyu pouts, tapping at his ears.

“You'll notice I wasn't just talking to the dog back there, but both of them,” Seokmin says kindly. “It doesn't have to just be on you. Minghao _wants_ to help.”

Mingyu hums. “So you’re saying Minghao needs to lock himself in the bathroom?”

“Funny,” Seokmin says. “Serious question though, does he have to, um, eat at home? Could he do it somewhere else?”

“I don't know,” Mingyu answers, brows furrowed. “I’ve never asked. But it's his place, I can't ask him to leave!”

“It’s your place too.”

“Well, yeah, but not… not in the same way.”

“Do you think Minghao would agree with that?”

“No,” Mingyu admits after a moment of defeated silence.

“Talk to him about it,” Seokmin encourages. Look at him, sounding like a real therapist. “You won't be the first roommate to complain about someone ordering too much takeout, trust me.” 

Mingyu snorts.

“And maybe he could take a shower before coming home, too,” Seokmin adds on, trying to sound casual.

Mingyu tilts his head in a silent question.

“I’m guessing the scent is part of the problem, right?”

Mingyu glances at Seokmin, surprised. “Yeah,” he breathes out. “Worse than just like, if he hangs out with someone. I can handle that fine. But he doesn’t smell like much to begin with, I guess as part of what he is. When he drinks from someone else, it’s not just that I smell them on him, but in him too. From the blood.”

Seokmin nods, taking that in. 

“How did you know?” Mingyu asks. “I haven’t even told Hao.”

“I didn’t,” Seokmin shrugs. “Just a guess. Scents are important to dogs too, in a way that’s hard to understand when you can’t actually smell the things they do.”

Mingyu nods emphatically. “Yeah, exactly. How am I supposed to explain something like that?”

“Is that why you haven’t told him?”

“That, and…” Mingyu sighs. “I don’t want him to think I have a problem with him eating. I know he has to and it really doesn’t bother me on like, a conceptual level. He’s got a right to live, just like anyone else.”

Seokmin smiles softly at the familiar phrasing. 

“I’m afraid that bringing it up would make it seem like _he_ was the problem, instead of me.”

“You’re not the problem.” Seokmin frowns. “How can something that’s in your nature, just as much as it is in his, be your fault?” 

Mingyu falls silent, walking in step with Seokmin. “I don’t think a shower would help that much,” he says after a while. “But I do have another idea.” 

“You're a creature of habit, I'm guessing,” Seokmin says, pausing. “Wait, is that rude? To say creature? Sorry.”

Minghao giggles at him, not unkindly. As time has gone on, Minghao seems to have grown more comfortable around Seokmin, willing to laugh at him when the situation calls for it. 

“I just meant, um. That routine is good for dogs. They like to know what to expect and what's expected of them in return. An unstable home life can cause issues.”

Minghao nods to show he’s listening. 

“But too much of the same can be harmful too, can cause dogs to be maladaptive. Something small breaks the routine and they can't handle it.”

“You're saying Mingyu can't deal with change?” Minghao frowns.

“I was talking about _dogs_ ,” Seokmin says with a smile. “And in this situation, I was actually alluding to you, mister.”

Minghao bristles. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Your relationship with Mingyu starts to shift and you try to hire a trainer to fix it. When we started this, you asked me to return things back to how they were, not to solve the problem.”

“What's so wrong with that? Things were good before.” 

“But you can't actually go back. I would think you, of all people, would get that.”

Minghao falls silent for a moment. “Is it so wrong to want that?”

“Not at all. It’s very human, actually,” Seokmin says with a soft smile. “I imagine you're more aware of the passage of time than the rest of us?”

Minghao nods. “Acutely.” 

“And would it be unwarranted to think that might affect your desire to keep things as they are with Mingyu?” 

Minghao’s gaze falls downward. “We are already the same age,” he says, quieter.

Seokmin squints. “Huh?” 

Minghao laughs softly. “I do age, I wasn't born fully formed.”

Seokmin throws his hands up. “I knew that! I just thought… Okay, but like, you could literally tell me anything. Think about that power. I mean, actually anything at all, and I'd believe you. To a concerning degree!”

Minghao laughs throughout his speech. “I promise that's the truth. I just age very slowly. From my calculations, Mingyu and I are, this year, almost exactly the same physical age.”

Seokmin takes that in. “Oh! Then me too! Mingyu and I were born the same year, I asked.”

Minghao blinks at that. “Of course,” he says, sounding oddly serious.

“Wow!” Seokmin says. “Look at the three of us! Buddies!”

Minghao snorts, the tension in him breaking. He shakes his hair out a bit. “What I was saying was… I am vividly aware that this is the last point in time where I'll be really on pace with him.”

He doesn't specify who, but even if it wasn’t clear from context, Seokmin has already learnt the expression Minghao makes when talking about Mingyu. 

And Mingyu in return, of course. It's a sickly sweet one.

Seokmin brushes the thought off. It’s just sweet, nothing bitter to it. They suit each other well and he is happy to be helping them to it. 

“You can't change that,” Seokmin starts.

Minghao lowers his voice. “I mean, I could.” He licks his lips pointedly. 

Seokmin follows it with his eyes. “But you won’t,” he says kindly. 

Minghao looks away. “No, I won’t,” he agrees. 

The silence that falls is heavy.

“Can we talk about something else?” Minghao asks.

“Sure,” Seokmin says readily. “The original topic was habits, right? Well, I, for one, can't follow them. I start a new workout plan or reading app once a month and never follow through. Mingyu says you're very particular about yours, though.” It’s intentional, of course, to mention that he discusses Minghao with Mingyu. A reminder for them both of the bigger picture and of the role Seokmin is playing here. “How do you do it?” 

“I just like routine,” Minghao says. “At night and in the morning, like a ritual. Time can slip away so easily if you don't make space to catch it. Any activity can be made an opportunity for reflection, for engaging with the world in the present.” 

“That sounds like the opposite of what I'd think of as engaging.” Seokmin cracks a smile. “I’d think you'd want to be doing new things instead! Being spontaneous.” 

Minghao inclines his head in acknowledgment. “I’ve had the time to do that, too. It has its place, of course. Routine for lack of an alternative is often just laziness. But when we establish patterns out of intentionality, it feels like setting roots. I need to anchor myself in the current moment. Following the flow too far, I fear I'll float away.”

Seokmin watches him speak. He can relate to the fear, he thinks. Sometimes it’s all too easy to get lost in this, in Minghao’s words and the quiet between them. 

“Also, it feels nice.” Minghao blushes a little, laughing at himself. “The skincare and stuff. I didn't grow up with such luxuries or facilities. I enjoy it.”

“I’ll give it a try sometime, then!” Seokmin says, cheery. 

“How can I refuse to do the same?” Minghao laughs. “I’ll try for a little more spontaneity too, then.”

Seokmin smiles, then lets it fall as he looks at Minghao more seriously. “One more thing, before you talk to him.”

Minghao inclines his head, not questioning Seokmin’s sureness that such a conversation is coming.

Seokmin thinks back to the fears Minghao had confessed to him, that Mingyu had come to resent him, and Mingyu’s mirrored fear of implying the same. It’s a discussion Seokmin knows he can’t lead, so he’ll have to do his best to encourage it.

“When you’re playing with dogs, Seokmin starts, “if they bite or scratch, you’re supposed to react really loudly. Exaggerate your reaction, yell and fall back in agony. Because they don’t actually want to hurt you, that’s the best way for them to learn not to bite or scratch you like that.” 

Minghao narrows his eyes. “Mingyu’s not a dog, you can’t actually try to train him.”

“Sure, but people aren’t that different,” Seokmin shrugs. “If Mingyu hurts you, you need to let him know.”

“Wow,” Seokmin says, staring down at the satin interior. “Of all the things I thought might be true about vampires, sleeping in coffins wasn't one of them! I thought you weren't technically dead?”

Mingyu snorts. “He isn't. He just _likes_ it.”

“It’s nice!” Minghao purses his lips in a slight pout. “If you'd even try it, I bet you'd agree,” he says, directed at Mingyu.

“Okay!” Seokmin climbs in.

Minghao and Mingyu stare in after him, both looking shocked. Mingyu seems a little betrayed and Minghao almost hopeful. Or maybe that’s all wrong—their expressions are all upside down to Seokmin. 

Seokmin closes his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest for the full corpse experience. “You know what,” he says after a moment. “it _is_ nice! Cozy, even!” 

Minghao beams and sticks his tongue out at Mingyu. 

Mingyu shoves at Minghao’s shoulder and then plays like he's going to shut the lid to the coffin. 

“Changed my mind,” Seokmin yelps. “Help me out! 

Minghao ends up agreeing to start eating dine-in, Mingyu informs Seokmin. 

Seokmin secretly doubts it was as much of a conversation as Mingyu makes it out to be in his retelling. Minghao had likely agreed immediately, even before hearing Mingyu’s reasons. But sometimes asking is the hardest part, so who is Seokmin to say how the story should be told. 

Mingyu’s solution to the other issue is to give some of his own clothes to Minghao to wear afterwards.

“He doesn’t leave enough of his own scent on things for it to work that way, so I had to pitch this. But he agreed, so. I do wear bigger clothes than him, they should be comfortable, even if they’re not really up to his sense of fashion.” Mingyu rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed even recounting the conversation.

Seokmin suppresses a fond smile and focuses on Mingyu’s words. “You’ll have to let me know how it goes the next time he eats out. How often is it?”

Mingyu nods. “About once a month, actually. Works out with my schedule,” he huffs out a laugh. 

Seokmin makes a mental note to ask about that later. “And was it as scary a conversation as you thought it’d be?”

“I wasn’t scared,” Mingyu says.

Seokmin raises an eyebrow. “Even if your actions weren’t speaking for you, the growling definitely did.”

Mingyu purses his lips into a tiny frown. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” Seokmin asks, doing his best to say it kindly. He’s learned that where Minghao sometimes needs to be confronted directly, Mingyu seems to respond better to a softer hand. “It’s a fear of losing him, right? Or a fear of things changing between you two?”

Mingyu’s shoulders fall but he remains silent. 

“That’s why you won’t tell him you love him, right?”

Mingyu startles, staring across the desk at Seokmin. “Who said that? I never, I don’t—“

“I did,” Seokmin says. “But fine, that’s why you won’t tell him about your crush, right?”

“I mean, he’s like this cool sexy vampire who’s gonna live forever and has probably never even tried to chase a car down the street. What am I supposed to bring to that?” 

“A lot,” Seokmin says easily. “You’re kind, intelligent, and I know you own a mirror.”

Mingyu stares back at him, mouth open just a touch. 

“What? Don’t look at me like that, I’m just saying! He could do a lot worse than—“ Seokmin gestures vaguely at Mingyu. “All of that. I mean, you even cook!”

Mingyu crosses his arms across his chest. “He doesn’t like human food.”

Seokmin looks at Mingyu for a moment, staring at him across the desk. It gives a sense of weight to his words that he has to admit to quite liking, almost like a real therapist. Dogs don’t have as much of an appreciation for the nuances of furniture arrangement, but Seokmin appreciates the added gravitas when he tells Mingyu “But he still eats your cooking, doesn’t he?” 

On a particularly cloudy day, Minghao invites Seokmin to do their session on the balcony instead. 

Seokmin attempts to tease him by complaining about it, makes a show of removing the sweatshirt he’s wearing and fanning himself as they step out onto into the muggy air of the balcony. Minghao watches the movements a little too carefully and Seokmin finds himself wondering what the joke was supposed to be. 

It’s not exactly what Seokmin would’ve thought as ideal weather for outdoor activities, but Minghao explains that it’s his favourite. The sort of weather he can enjoy without worry. 

“I don’t _really_ know what I’m missing out on by not being normal,” Minghao starts. “I know it’s not all great for a lot of people, but, well… Mingyu loves it.”

Seokmin raises an eyebrow at that. “Most people probably wouldn’t group Mingyu in the normal category either,” he says, amused.

“You know what I mean.” Minghao waves a hand. “Most of the time, he experiences life far more similarly to you than to me.”

“I _am_ a dog trainer, in his defense.”

Minghao laughs at that. “What I mean is, he just seems to approach being alive with such joy. It’s very different from how I grew up. My family are good people, but they’re old fashioned.”

Seokmin looks somewhat pointedly at Minghao’s elaborate outfit for their private porch meeting.

Minghao kindly ignores it. “I never even owned sunscreen before Mingyu moved in,” he confesses instead. “I was content to just wear long dark clothing and stay inside as much as possible.”

“And now?” Seokmin asks, familiar by now with when he’s being prompted.

“Now I keep a stockpile of it,” Minghao says simply. 

Seokmin marks that down as the day he knows several things for sure. Interesting how watching someone love someone else can make you fall for them even harder. 

“Hao’s not a dog though, you can’t actually train him,” Mingyu is arguing. He’s oddly restless today. 

“Funny, he said the same thing about you.”

Mingyu makes a complicated expression at that. 

“The thing is, you don’t train a dog by like, exerting your superior intelligence over them or something. It’s not about that at all. Training is just another way of saying communicating. You have to communicate with your dog, learn how to speak their language, but once you do, it’s just a conversation. When you teach a dog a trick, it’s about showing them what you want and then letting them know that you like it when they do it. You can’t make the dog do it, but if the dog knows that you like it, and you have a strong bond with them, then they’ll choose to do it,” Seokmin pauses for effect. “How is that different than humans?”

“Your signature line,” Mingyu says, but he’s listening, so Seokmin continues.

“A big part of learning to communicate with dogs is learning non-verbal communication. Sure, you should learn to give commands, and the dog will bark or whine to let you know things too, but listening to the dog in their language is really important. Do you speak Minghao’s language?”

Mingyu frowns. “Well, I guess not, but he’s really fluent!” He says, emphatic. “In, like, four languages, actually. He’s had a lot of time…”

And that’s sweet, almost achingly so, but not what Seokmin meant. “That’s not non-verbal, is it?”

“Oh. Sorry, I get kinda defensive about that, I guess. I do wish I spoke his native language sometimes. I know a little, but it’s hard.”

“But when he’s not speaking, how does Minghao communicate?”

“Painting, maybe?” Mingyu says after a moment, unsure. 

Interesting. Minghao hasn’t mentioned that hobby to Seokmin before. “Good, but not really what I mean, unless he’s painting around you that often. Have you heard of love languages?”

Mingyu nods. “We have different ways of giving and receiving love, right?”

“Sort of,” Seokmin qualifies. “I prefer to think of it as, like, we have different preferences or different styles that come more naturally. But we all can use them all, and not just to show love. I mean, you’re probably not sending gifts as a sign that you’re angry with someone,” Seokmin pauses to laugh at his own joke. “But still. It’s a good principle, but I think we don’t apply it to other parts of life enough. When you’re feeling down, do you touch other people more or less? Do you want to spend time with your friends or alone? You don’t have to answer for yourself, but what about Minghao?”

Mingyu takes a moment to answer. “Less, I think. He touches more when he’s happy and pulls away when he’s not. I do the opposite, I cling.”

Seokmin is noticing his lisp more today, for some reason. Have his teeth gotten sharper?

“Minghao always notices when I’m down, though,” Mingyu continues, speaking quickly. “He just seems to know, even before I do, and is right there to offer support or help. I want to do that for him.” 

Seokmin nods. “I don’t have a direct answer for that, all you can do is pay attention. Listen.” 

Mingyu hums in agreement, tapping a leg up and down restlessly. “And what about you?” he asks.

“Hm?”

“How do you communicate?” 

Seokmin blinks, a little taken aback at being asked, and then a little annoyed with himself for being so. “Oh, me? I like to think I’m pretty straightforward,” Seokmin says, gesturing a bit. He knocks a pen off of the desk with his hands and sends it flying.

Mingyu perks up and grabs it from the ground, rushing back to place it back on the desk.

Seokmin does his best not to laugh but can feel himself straining with it. “Thanks,” he says, biting his lips. He picks the pen up and holds it in the air like he’s going to toss it.

Mingyu tenses and waits, eyes trained on the pen intently. 

Seokmin cracks, releasing the withheld laughter on an exhale and nearly hitting his head on the desk with it. 

Thankfully, Mingyu joins him in laughing, not offended by it. “Full moon tonight,” he whispers by way of explanation. 

Seokmin asks Minghao about the painting. 

Minghao seems a bit surprised at being asked but quickly offers to just show Seokmin instead. 

“Only if you want,” he adds on right after. “I can also just talk about it.”

Seokmin takes a second to consider his answer. Minghao’s not wrong—Seokmin does prefer to ask questions and talk things through, in general and not just as a function of therapy typically being a dialogue-heavy practice. “No, it’s great,” Seokmin answers. “The whole point is to listen however you want to be heard, so show away.”

Minghao offers a small smile and shows Seokmin into another room, apparently a shared studio of sorts.

There’s an easel and several buckets of paint shoved in an open closet, as well as some exercise equipment. A short table holds a decorative display of an impressive amount of empty wine bottles. Seokmin’s a little intimidated, thinking of his own apartment’s clutter and wondering if the collection of dirty mugs on the counter could be considered an art installation. Mostly though, he’s charmed. 

“Oh, are you into photography too?” Seokmin asks, pointing at a nice camera and lens bag stacked next to the paints. 

Minghao shakes his head. “Well, sort of, but that’s actually Mingyu’s.” 

No further information is offered on that, so Seokmin just nods. It’s sort of daunting to be in a room that’s clearly something private to these two. He’s almost surprised he hasn’t been into it before, as often as he’s over at their place, but glancing around, he finds himself just feeling touched. 

Minghao loads several paintings out of the closet, laying them down on the floor carefully. 

They’re mostly abstract, although a few have something reminiscent of figures in them. Seokmin’s a little relieved by that—He doesn’t know a thing about art and was dreading trying to come up with compliments for technical aspects. 

The alternative, of course, is that it’s obvious he’s looking at something almost purely expressive. Like he can almost make out Minghao’s core in the swirls of shape and color. It’s a lot to bear, too.

“They’re nice,” Seokmin settles on saying, simple but genuine. “Do they represent specific memories, or…” he trails off.

“With as many memories as I have,” Minghao answers softly, “what I value more is emotion. The emotions are the most vital part of being alive.” 

“This one…” Seokmin points at a blue-toned one near the middle with several textured elements of what looks like a nose and lips. “What is that? The impression of a face?”

Minghao nods. 

Seokmin watches him, taking in his features. “Is that…?”

“I can't see myself in mirrors or cameras so,” Minghao shrugs. “You get creative.”

Seokmin blinks rapidly. “You mean you look like _that_ every day and you can’t even use a mirror?”

Minghao flushes, the same features from the canvas growing slightly pinker. “Mingyu helps me with the back of my hair sometimes,” he admits shyly. 

“I can check in the mirror three times and still leave with my fly unzipped,” Seokmin says, shaking his head in wonder. 

They remain there on the floor for the rest of the session, Minghao pointing out various pieces and telling small anecdotes around their creation. 

Seokmin debates bringing up the topic of mirrors again but decides against it, content to listen to Minghao’s calm narration. It’s maybe a more complex subject than he knows how to breach delicately.

Or maybe, strangely enough, he doesn’t feel there’s anything left that has to be said. There are some things he learns about Minghao, and Mingyu too, that are probably too complicated for Seokmin to fully understand from words alone. It’s a whole depth of not-so-human experience different to his own and sometimes it’s all he can do to take in whatever they’re willing to share. 

On the other hand, some things that Seokmin learns about Mingyu and Minghao are quite simple. 

Mingyu likes to receive praise because he's sort of a dog. Minghao likes to receive praise because he can't see his own reflection. 

Seokmin takes it upon himself to draw a portrait of Minghao, so he'll know. He draws it on a post-it note and he's never attempted art before in his life, so it's a masterpiece. 

But confidence is the mark of any great artist, so Seokmin sticks it to the bathroom mirror with pride and presents it to Minghao. 

Mingyu files in afterwards, as he tends to do. (Seokmin's not sure if he's noticed his habit of following Minghao from room to room around the apartment, but it's cute and he's pretty sure Minghao agrees, so Seokmin never brings it up.) 

They both stare at Seokmin's portrait in awe. 

Okay, so it's a glorified stick figure with a mullet. Mingyu stares at it in something closer to horror and is definitely holding back laughter. 

But Minghao looks at it like he'd guard it with his life and that's what really matters, isn't it? 

On an evening when Minghao is dining out, it storms. Mingyu sneaks worried glances out the window during their session but does a poor job of hiding his shaking legs. One flash of lightning and Seokmin folds at Mingyu’s expression, texting Soonyoung that he’ll have to cancel their evening plans. 

Mingyu asks if he can shift, surprising Seokmin with the hesitance in his voice. He realizes he hasn’t actually seen Mingyu do it since their first abrupt encounter. 

Seokmin cracks a joke about not feeling up for conversation anyway and agrees. He’s not quite confident enough in his answer to really communicate any confidence to Mingyu, but Mingyu takes him at his word. It’s the least that Seokmin can do to return that trust.

Curled up on the couch and stroking idly between Mingyu’s large ears, Seokmin allows himself the one night to yearn, as Soonyoung would put it. The glow of the TV reflects off of Mingyu’s golden eyes, some children’s movie he’d put on to relax them both. 

Mingyu whimpers periodically and flinches at particularly loud claps of thunder, his tail wound around Seokmin. Conversation is indeed sparse, but Mingyu had whispered that he feels safer this way before shifting and Seokmin finds no space between them to regret agreeing. 

Seokmin keeps up a dialogue with himself once the movie ends, whispering stories about dogs he’d met this week, about how he used to be scared of storms himself. He drifts off with his head pillowed in soft fur and awakes to Minghao watching them in the dark. His expression is unreadable in the low light and Seokmin is unsure how long he’s been there. 

Seokmin sits up, careful not to wake Mingyu. He starts to say something, although he’s not sure what. Apologize, maybe? 

Minghao shakes his head. “Thank you,” he whispers. 

Seokmin nods and leaves it at that. 

Seokmin doesn't realize until later that the sweatshirt Minghao was wearing when he returned was not something from Mingyu’s closet but the same one of Seokmin’s, left here on a hot day some weeks ago.

But they don't talk about it. 

As much as he talks with them about everything else, there are some lines Seokmin can't cross. Won't cross. Professional integrity, courtesy, cowardice. What's the difference?

The next time Seokmin knocks, he hears chatter and loud laughter from inside Minghao and Mingyu’s apartment before someone comes to let him in. 

Apparently, Mingyu has a friend over. He ushers Seokmin inside and apologizes for losing track of time. Minghao sits in the living room, evidently not awake enough to conceal his glare at Mingyu's friend. 

Seokmin thinks the jealousy written clearly on his face is funny at first but quickly finds himself agreeing as Mingyu's friend takes longer and longer to say goodbye. 

Mingyu kisses his cheek as he leaves and the friend rolls his eyes in protest, then leans in for another one. Then they hug too, which goes on for just way too long. 

“Bye Seungkwan!” Mingyu finally calls, shutting the door after him. 

Seungkwan yells something back through the door that Seokmin can’t quite make out, but Mingyu clearly can as he snorts in faux annoyance, still smiling. 

“A friend?” Seokmin asks when they finally get settled in for a session. 

“From back home, yeah, so I don't get to see him much!” 

Mingyu spends most of their time together telling stories about Seungkwan, bright grin never leaving his face. Which is nice, in a sense—it’s clear there’s a long history there and it’s endearing to see Mingyu speak fondly of him after bickering with him so much in person. 

It’s more than a little surprising to learn that Seungkwan is also a wolf. He’s nothing like Seokmin would have expected others to be like, although he realizes that he really only knows the one. 

Or does he? He could know countless, couldn’t he? There could be wolves all over the place and he’d have no idea. The idea isn’t as frightening as it used to be, he finds.

It does certainly explain why Seungkwan had been so touchy with Mingyu though. 

Minghao doesn’t seem nearly as accepting of this explanation. He kicks Mingyu out of the office as soon as their time is up and starts complaining about Seungkwan’s visit the moment the door falls shut.

He’s adorably worked up about it and Seokmin has to force himself to focus on this as a development in his attempts to help Minghao and not an opportunity to appreciate Minghao’s pout, the way it pushes out his cheeks and makes him look so much younger.

Seokmin’s resolve may have started to crumble lately, growing increasingly comfortable in this apartment and with Minghao and Mingyu. The thought of how things will inevitably change worries him, of course, but he’d be somewhat of a hypocrite if he didn’t take his own advice on fearing change, wouldn’t he? 

This is an important opportunity he can’t afford to let pass with Minghao. Each time he’s broached the subject of his relationship with Mingyu in the past, Minghao has remained almost obstinately convinced that it’s a non-issue. 

The way he’s sulking now should make that harder to deny. “I’d almost say you sound jealous,” Seokmin says, trying for casual.

Minghao considers that. “Just annoyed,” he says with a shrug. “Why would I be jealous?”

“Well, it seems like Seungkwan has a lot of history with Mingyu, has known him longer than you have. And he certainly took his time saying goodbye.” 

Minghao scowls at that before catching himself. “My relationship with Mingyu is plenty strong, there’s nothing to be jealous of.”

“And yet,” Seokmin keeps his expression neutral, “it seems like you are.”

Minghao stares forward for a moment, confused, and then his eyes widen, almost comically large. “Oh.”

It’s sweet, is all Seokmin can think. He’s happy to be seeing it happen. He’s happy for them both, really.

“I’ve honestly just never even thought about it,” Minghao says, continuing his revelation. His forehead wrinkles in concentration. “I like what we have, why would I want more?”

“Don’t think of it as more, then. Who’s to say that a romantic relationship is somehow better or more than a close friendship?” Seokmin asks, words he’s more than familiar with from telling himself. “Sometimes it is, but that’s not inherently true. Wanting to be with Mingyu romantically doesn’t imply anything negative about your friendship.”

Minghao huffs out a laugh. “It’s strange to hear it just… said, like that.”

“What is?”

“Wanting to be with him. I do, I guess,” Minghao says, smiling to himself. 

Seokmin just smiles back. And he means it, so that’s all that matters, right? “How are you going to ask, then?”

Minghao blinks heavily, apparently taken back for the second time in minutes. “Ask him what?”

“…Out,” Seokmin says slowly. “Ask him out.”

“Why would I do that?”

Seokmin feels his eye twitch. “Okay, I know you’re not actually dense. What do you mean, why would you do that? Because you finally realized you’re into him?”

“I’m not being dense.” Minghao frowns. “You just said that my relationship with him is fine as it is. I’m not going to risk that on the chance he’ll agree to a date.”

“Okay, even assuming he isn’t interested—which is a big assumption and not one I’m claiming to agree with,” Seokmin holds his hands up, gesturing widely, “do you really think he’d hold it against you? As close as you two are, do you really think you have something to lose?”

Minghao falls silent. 

But that means he’s at least thinking about it, listening, so hopefully that’s a good sign. 

“What if he does agree?” Minghao asks at last. “I’m afraid I don’t have much of a permanent future to offer.” He smiles, small. 

Seokmin takes a deep breath, reminding himself that this has nothing to do with him. “That isn’t his choice to make?” 

Minghao sighs. “I’ll think on it,” he says, in a tone that sounds like he doesn’t intend to think on it. 

Seokmin stands up, clearing a few papers off of the desk. Both because it’s about time for him to leave and also, admittedly, for the dramatic effect on his parting words. “Just don’t wait so long you lose out on the present.” 

In their next session, Seokmin struggles to bring up the topic with Mingyu. It’s only been a few days since Seungkwan’s visit but Minghao doesn’t seem inclined to actually do anything with his newly realized affections, so it’s going to have to be up to Seokmin to push them together. Subtly, of course. Mingyu is talkative today, so Seokmin has to wait until the final minutes to find an opening. 

“So, have you thought any more about telling Minghao how you feel?” Seokmin finally asks. Nailed it. 

Mingyu nods. “Yeah, actually. I’ve been trying to figure out how to bring it up with you,” he admits. 

Seokmin sits forward in his seat. 

“I don't think it was your strategy, but I'm getting over it with your help anyway, so… I wanted to say thank you. Maybe with dinner sometime?” 

“You’re getting over him?” Seokmin blurts out in shock, only processing the latter half of that sentence a second later.

“Well, no. Not really,” Mingyu says, laughing. “But I haven't been into anyone else in so long, this has to be a good step, right?”

Why is Mingyu telling him this? What is going on? 

“I’m not even sure why I'm telling you this. I guess it's the whole therapy thing. It feels like I can tell you anything.” Mingyu grins. 

“But what about the plan,” Seokmin says faintly. “The part where you were going to confess to Minghao.”

“It’s a bad idea.”

“And this is a _good_ one?” Seokmin fights to keep his voice down.

“We live together, it’s too complicated.” Mingyu shrugs. “You don't have to answer right away, I know this would make therapy complicated. But maybe I can take you out sometime and we can go from there? 

“I…” Seokmin forces himself to form words. “I need some time to think.”

“That’s fine!” Mingyu nods, still smiling brightly. “The werewolf thing is probably still weird, huh!”

Seokmin nods, feeling almost separate from his own body. “Sure,” he thinks he says. 

Mingyu leaves the office cheerfully, Minghao entering quickly after him. 

“I’m sorry, I actually have to go,” Seokmin manages to say, gathering up his things. “Something came up, we’ll have to reschedule.” He shoots Minghao an attempt at a smile, probably only barely concealing his panic and guilt, and moves to leave.

“Wait, before you do. I…” Minghao moves closer, blocking Seokmin’s path out the door. “I know this is horribly unprofessional and this isn’t how I wanted to do this, but things with Mingyu have been much better lately anyway, so… I thought about what you said last time and realized it would be unwise to wait any longer.”

Seokmin exhales. Good, that’s one piece in place at least. If Minghao talks to Mingyu, confesses, that should make things easier going forward. 

Minghao takes another step closer and honest-to-god cups Seokmin’s cheek with one hand. “I really like you.” 

“What the fuck.” Seokmin doesn’t even have the brainpower to make it a question. He can barely hear his own voice over the pounding of his heart in his ears, centimetres away from where Minghao’s thumb rests.

Seokmin bolts. It occurs to him as he makes it down the elevator that it’s beginning to become a bad habit. 

He has several unread texts when he finally calms down enough to check his phone on the bus. 

**Minghao**

I shouldn’t have crossed a line like that, I sincerely apologize. Please let me know that you made it home safely.

**Mingyu**

hey seokmin!! are you free this saturday? i’ll cook~~~ ;)

**Soonyoung**

im stuck in the door again can u come help when u get a chance

and bring beer

“How is this my life,” Seokmin complains, the third time in the last few minutes. He sets his beer down to tinker with the hinges on Soonyoung’s door some more. 

“Yeah,” Soonyoung sighs, looking up at him from the ground with one cheek pressed into the flooring. “Look at me, you’d think I’d be way too sweaty of a guy to keep getting stuck in places and yet…”

Seokmin snorts. “Two of your many talents, yes.”

“So let me get this straight,” Soonyoung says. “You like both of them. And they both like you and also each other.” 

“Yeah but... When you say it like that, it sounds like something else, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get _them_ together, not to insert myself into the middle of it!”

“Seokmin,” Soonyoung says firmly. “I tell you all the time how good you are at your job, right?”

Seokmin nods dutifully. It’s true. 

“Trust me. Not even you are good enough at it to make two boys fall in love with you.”

Seokmin slaps a hand over Soonyoung’s mouth. “Don't say _that_. it's not that serious, I'm just like, rebounding for both of them. They're like this big epic love story, star-crossed and everything. I'm literally just some guy.”

Soonyoung licks his hand. “Or you’re scared.”

“Of course I'm scared!” Seokmin says, voice rising. “It’s my thing! I've never even thought about dating two people at once before. I don’t think I could even handle one!”

Soonyoung frowns at that. It’s upside down, so maybe Seokmin can pretend it’s an encouraging smile. 

“It might seem like an elegant solution, but I'm not sure if it's even something I'm up for. It’s like, at least two times as scary as regular dating, if not more. And even if they do like me, they have years of history together. How am I supposed to bring something to that?”

“Have you considered that they might need what you have to offer? How many years of pining and doing nothing about it until you came along?”

Seokmin lightly slaps Soonyoung on the forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re not allowed to sound wise when you’re on the floor with your foot stuck in a door.”

“Bad news for you, that’s when I’m at my most powerful. Seriously, how do you explain it?”

“The magic of therapy?” Seokmin shrugs.

Soonyoung sighs. It comes out oddly high pitched, presumably because his lung capacity is restricted in his current position. “Look, you're right in that you should think about it and make sure it's something you actually want. Of course, don't jump into something just because it makes things simpler than choosing. Just be careful that you don't miss your opportunity to jump altogether.”

“Why would you say that, that makes me _more_ anxious,” Seokmin whines, ignoring the familiar ring of Soonyoung’s words, echoes of things he’s said himself.

“Sorry.” Soonyoung sticks his bottom lip out in apology. “That's not what I mean. If you need more time, tell them that. I'm sure they'll listen, and if they don't, they're not worth it! I just mean, don't spend so much time psyching yourself out about the jump that you lose your nerve. Sometimes, you just have to go for it,” he says.

“Can we stop with the metaphor, I’m already nervous and you know I’m afraid of heights.”

Soonyoung wiggles his toes in response. 

“Here’s the thing,” Seokmin starts. “I’m pretty in tune with my emotions.”

“Yeah, it’s freaky sometimes,” Soonyoung says, nodding to himself.

“So yes, I know I like both of them, and sometimes I think there could be something there. But I’m still the outsider in the situation. They’ve got all this history and… I mean, my whole job was to help them get together, basically. I’m not gonna come in and mess that up. If something is going to happen with the three of us, it’s going to have to be on them to start it. It wouldn’t be fair of me.”

“Okay and I hear you, very professional, but…” Soonyoung pauses. “I’m afraid you’re giving them a little too much credit. You are a very cool and modern dude, but something like this might not have even occurred to them. Minghao can be a bit old-fashioned.” 

Seokmin snorts.

“I’m just saying if you’re waiting around for them to do something, you might be waiting a long time. Like me and this door!” 

“Alright, hint taken,” Seokmin says, rolling his eyes fondly. He picks up a screwdriver and starts poking at things. He doesn’t really know what he’s doing, but it’s bound to work out eventually. 

The next day, Mingyu answers the door. Seokmin realizes distantly that he hasn’t been barked at for knocking in months. 

Seokmin is ushered inside, where Minghao is sitting in the living room, doing something on his phone. He stares at Seokmin for a moment when he enters before looking away. 

Mingyu doesn’t notice, apparently too excited by Seokmin’s arrival. 

Seokmin sits down on the couch, psyching himself up. Mingyu follows and sits, like, right next to him. Seokmin thinks he might even hear him sigh in happiness. It must be reaching that time of the month, he realizes. Not ideal, but this can’t really wait, can it? 

“Minghao,” Seokmin starts. He probably should have planned this out more, but it’s not like his grand plan of setting these two up had unfolded perfectly. “Mingyu asked me out yesterday. I—”

“Oh!” Minghao interrupts, head snapping up to stare at Seokmin. “That’s great! You should go for it, that’s wonderful.”

Mingyu’s gaze flickers between the two of them, looking like he’s not sure if he should be happy or offended. 

“No, oh my God,” Seokmin moans. 

They both turn to stare at him.

“Sorry, I just…” Seokmin moves to face Mingyu, leaning back a little at their proximity. “If you’d let me finish. Mingyu, Minghao also asked me out yesterday.”

Mingyu’s eyes go huge. 

“Yeah, so. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d planned it!” Seokmin laughs nervously. He’s met with silence. “I didn’t answer either of you because the truth is, I…” Seokmin exhales, gathering his courage. “I like both of you. A lot.”

Mingyu and Minghao exchange a glance that Seokmin can’t quite read.

“Do you guys know what that means? Or, I guess, what I’d like it to mean?” Seokmin prods.

Mingyu nods firmly. He stands up. “Minghao and I are going to have to fight.”

“What?”

Minghao just watches before shrugging. 

“ _No_!?” Seokmin half-yells, strangled. “ _Why_ would that be what I mean? What the hell?”

Mingyu sits back down. “It’s how we’d settle it back home,” he says, sheepish.

Seokmin shakes his head, saving that for another time. “I meant that we should all date. But I’ll also understand if, now that you know what’s on the table, so to speak, you’d rather I just… duck out.”

Mingyu narrows his eyes, but it seems to be more suspicious than the excitement or realization that Seokmin was hoping for. 

“God, sorry, I really fumbled this. This was not how I meant to propose it, but I’ve never done anything like this before, so.”

“Like what?” Minghao asks, voice cautious. But he’s staring at Seokmin intently instead of acting like he thinks it’s a trick or attempting to start a duel, so maybe he’s getting there.

“I like both of you,” Seokmin says again, more firmly this time. “And, sorry, but I know that you guys like each other.”

Mingyu turns red. “I don’t—”

“Is that true?” Minghao interrupts, now focused on Mingyu. 

Mingyu opens his mouth and closes it, struggling for words.

Seokmin cuts back in. “Yes. Sorry, I’d love to wait and let you do it for yourself, but that’s been my strategy up to this point and it’s what brought us here, so forgive me. It’s true, you’ve both told me you do, and I’m not a real therapist so I’m allowed to say that.” 

Mingyu stares at Seokmin, expression shocked but thankfully not betrayed. He turns to look at Minghao, who is looking surprisingly calm, in contrast. “Are you… Why don’t you look surprised by this?” Mingyu asks.

Minghao inclines his head, a bit embarrassed. “It’s what I was hoping for, actually,” he admits. 

It’s Seokmin’s turn to stare in shock. 

In retrospect, it does make more sense than Minghao giving up on Mingyu a mere few days after confessing that he was into him and it is true that Seokmin had sort of turned and run before giving Minghao a chance to explain further. But it’s still a bit hard for Seokmin to wrap his head around _Minghao_ being the one who had come to this conclusion first. 

“I’m aware it’s a less than orthodox proposal,” Minghao continues, sensing the question directed at him. “But I’ve known many others who have made it work well. It’s fairly common in some circles, for those of us with longer than average lifespans.” 

"Oh," Seokmin says. "Cool." 

And that's just sort of it, actually. Not a bang but a whimper, as it turns out. 

Get it. Like a dog’s—

Mingyu is happy about it, though. To be clear. He's not whining or complaining at all. It takes a few awkward minutes of further clarification but he turns out to be very on board with the idea, as Seokmin can personally and enthusiastically attest to. 

Seokmin goes home that night with the Saturday dinner date firmly back on. On his end, things are honestly pretty simple, so he leaves before the sun goes down with an awkward group hug and the bright promise of future meetings. It's important, he thinks, to give Mingyu and Minghao some space to talk for themselves. Maybe they'll tell Seokmin about it in therapy someday. 

This is also a joke, to be clear. They still use the office for Big Talks sometimes, when the situation arises, but Seokmin had obviously stopped feeling an actual therapist a while ago, so it's not a difficult transition from sessions to dates. 

This becomes the topic of one of said Talks, unfortunately. Mingyu and Minghao just like to argue, sometimes. As a way of talking through their opinions, more than an actual argument, but it stresses Seokmin out. It's when he finds himself desperately trying to mediate an argument about whether people have one butt or two that they have to sit down and clarify that Seokmin is not their therapist and it isn't his responsibility to solve their problems, whether it's friendly bickering or real fights. Seokmin is a bit embarrassed to be seen through like this and he still struggles to stay out of things sometimes, but it helps. 

It really does help, is the thing. These things come up, but they keep finding a way to work through them. Every time, it helps, and Seokmin finds himself a little winded by it. The luck to not only find two people to love like this, but to get to keep loving them, despite all the odds? It’s scary to think his luck might one day run out, but sometimes it’s even scarier to think that it might not. That he might really just get to have this and keep it. 

Maybe Seokmin sort of thought it would be some kind of superpower. People in relationships with just two get jealous, but if there’s three and you love both of them, surely you don’t get jealous. Like, people in poly relationships must just be different, or by virtue of getting into one, you become different. Regular Seokmin has to be different from Seokmin With Two Boyfriends, surely. He keeps waiting for it to kick in. 

Well, Seokmin With Two Boyfriends _is_ different than Regular Seokmin, for several reasons. First, he has two boyfriends, which rules. It’s a lot of boyfriend and it is very very fun. 

Second, he has twice the reason to be better. Which sounds horribly cheesy when he says it like that, but it’s true. He’s not perfect and things never are, so they argue sometimes. 

Seokmin all but moves in probably concerningly soon after they start dating, Minghao and Mingyu’s place much more convenient and spacious to hang out in. 

But also much cleaner, and it takes Seokmin a while to adjust to the idea of like, putting his dishes in the sink and then actually cleaning them instead of just hoping they magically become clean after sitting in there long enough. Mingyu actually seems to _like_ cleaning the dishes, for some reason, which just makes things worse because it means Seokmin gets away with it half of the time. 

It also turns out that the sweatshirt he’d left there was far from the first of his personal belongings to get left behind, to the point that Mingyu starts a lost and found bin. Seokmin’s still deciding if he should be offended by that or not when Minghao jokes that it’ll have to become a drawer soon, so he decides he likes it. 

Seokmin is different from the two of them, who have an established life together, even if it’s only a newly romantic one. Of course it takes some adjustment to fit him in. But it’s hard to remember, sometimes, the ways in which he’s not all that different. Sometimes the differences start to feel like things that are wrong with him, things he needs to fix or risk losing them.

Which, well, he should probably fix the thing where he leaves his stuff everywhere. That’s not a bad point. It’s just a slower process than he’d like to separate those things from the things he can’t change, like being human. It takes time and frequent reminders, both from them and from Seokmin himself, that some differences aren’t a bad thing. 

Consistency and positive reinforcement, not so different from a dog after all. Realizing how things have come full circle like that makes the task feel just a bit less daunting. 

Finally, although Seokmin With Two Boyfriends is not above jealousy, he is more aware of it, and maybe that’s enough. 

Minghao seems to make a point of being extra touchy with Seokmin, sometimes. He’s not sure if it’s just habit from Mingyu, or if there’s something more pointed, but Seokmin isn’t complaining either way. 

It does worry him a little bit if it might be the sort of thing to make Mingyu jealous, (although Seokmin berates himself for the thought afterwards—thinking of a man as a dog instead of a man is even worse when that man is your boyfriend) since it is true that sometimes territorial dogs don’t like it when the people in their house have sex. 

Not that that, in particular, has seemed to be an issue, but the principle is the same. 

He doesn’t have to worry for long though. It doesn’t take a genius in dog or human body language to see how pleased Mingyu looks when he walks in on Minghao with his head on Seokmin’s shoulder, curled around him from behind. 

Seokmin turns his head and kisses Minghao on the cheek, still looking at Mingyu. Just to see. 

Minghao’s eyes go wide with surprise, cheeks flushing prettily. 

Mingyu sees the invitation for what it is and crosses the room to plant a soft kiss on Minghao’s other cheek. 

But the new two boyfriend-having Seokmin is also not all that different. He still gets nervous around both Minghao and Mingyu, especially together. Separately, he’s sort of found his footing, and if he does just end up staring in awe at one of them, it’s allowed and considered cute now instead of creepy, so that works out well. 

Together, though, is still sometimes intimidating. Any time that he’s reminded of the differences between him and the two of them, really. Which sucks, because together is also his favourite way to be. 

The first time Mingyu and Minghao see his place, Seokmin is achingly nervous. It doesn’t help that it’s an excruciatingly long subway ride across the city, plenty of time to fidget and chatter on the way there. 

Seokmin continues to be nervous as he walks them up the hill and several flights of stairs. 

“Here it is,” Seokmin says, gesturing with his hands open. Not too wide, in case he’d hit a wall or knock something off its precarious resting place. 

He’s surprised there’s even enough room for the three of them inside, actually. Seokmin’s on the other side of the bed, Mingyu’s standing in front of the bathroom door, and Minghao is…

Standing outside in the hall, smiling awkwardly. He pretends to knock in the space where the door to Seokmin’s apartment is standing open.

Seokmin stares back at him in confusion while Mingyu stifles a giggle from inside the room. 

“What? What’s going on?” Seokmin pouts. “You’re not going to come in?”

Minghao’s smile turns strained. “You…” he trails off, mumbling something and looking at the ceiling.

Mingyu’s giggles have turned into full-blown laughter, clutching his chest as he watches the scene unfold. 

“Huh?” Seokmin calls.

“You have to phrase it right,” Minghao says, groaning. “It has to actually be an invitation.” 

Seokmin glances to Mingyu, still not getting it. “An invitation to what?”

“You have to invite him in,” Mingyu chokes out over his laughter. “You know, the vampire thing.”

“For real?” Seokmin yells. “How did I not know about that? Why did no one tell me?”

“It’s only for residential property,” Mingyu explains. “It doesn’t matter for like, restaurants and stuff.” 

“Woah,” Seokmin says, sinking onto his bed. “I can’t believe that’s true.” 

Mingyu’s laughter starts up again. “You should’ve seen it. This one time, in college—”

Minghao coughs loudly from the hallway. “Can someone please invite me in already?” 

**Author's Note:**

> this one ended up being a bit outside of my usual wheelhouse, so let me know if you liked it! thank u for reading <3 
> 
> in case you were wondering why the dog has a name when there's people in here who don't: it was too confusing not to give it a name. but also because i looked up dog's names and found that people have indeed named their dogs 구리 which means that if they say "my dog, kuri" it would sound like "my frog" and that was too good to pass up. 
> 
> and a big thank u to myri for the encouragement and supportive emoji reacts ily
> 
> also I’m aware that there’s probably a million typos in here so if you notice one or like a mixed up name, feel free to point it out
> 
> [visit my twitter for bonus features and dvd extras](https://twitter.com/carljungkook/status/1353778951915761664)


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